The Dragon and the Huntress
by majik7
Summary: The last known Descendant of both the Vanishing Dragon and the Holy Dragon which Ascalon was forged from. Issei is hunted by the three factions for his unique Bloodline. After a party and an unwanted prophecy, Artemis may have found the one male in existence who doesn't repulse her. Issei x Artemis Harem? We'll see...probably.
1. Running away

**YO! I've had this in the works for quite a while now. And Writers block has hit me hard for A Different Direction, but i'm making progress...shouldn't be too much longer now.**

 **P.S. After the next chapter of A Different Direction, I'll be working diligently on something that was gifted to me.**

 **The Red Dragon Emperor of Ravenous Flames has been placed in my hands… And I'll be damned if I rush that one. So once I feel that I have a chapter that is on par with Shiranui Amaterasu's previous work on it...I'll put it out there. But now you know that it will be coming. I've talked to the previous author about plans and stuff relating to the story, so I won't be changing what has already been written, only adding to it.**

 ****

 **Chapter 1**

The Greek island of Delos, was a small and nearly uninhabited place, except for little more than a dozen humans. It was seen as a historic place for greek history and mythology. However, unknown to the human world, it was still home to one of the beings said to have been birthed there.

Artemis, the Greek Goddess of the hunt, still called this island her home. She had a large wooden home built ages ago, after the attempts of multiple Gods to reap her of her virginity. And so she spent the majority of her time here instead of Mt. Olympus.

Her house stood stood in the forest at the base of Mt. Kynthos, a barrier placed around it to avoid any human eyes from seeing into the supernatural world.

It stood 3 stories tall, a marvel of wooden architecture at the time it was built. It had a large foyer with a chandelier made of antlers hanging from the raised ceiling. The inside was lit with magical torches that would never burn out, nor would they damage the wooden walls.

The inside of her home was laced with dozens of goddesses from various mythologies. Norse, Greek, Shinto, Egyptian, Hindu and surprisingly, one of each from the three factions that held prominence in todays world. This was an annual gathering the Greek Goddess liked to hold, as a way for them to get together and enjoy each others company without the politics of who came from which faction being a hinderance.

Artemis stood at the railing of her third floor, gazing down at her guests, a small smile crossing her face at the pleasant atmosphere permeating her home.

This gathering would be considered impossible by most men of each of their respective factions, thinking of only finding a way to display dominance over another faction. That was the major problem with these deities...Their egos. Of course their were some exceptions, but the majority had lived their lives in a time where women were considered nothing more than servants to their husband or male superior.

Artemis glanced to her right, at the mirror beside her, checking her appearance before returning to the party. Her 5'7 frame made its way halfway up the mirror hung on the wall. Her Long silver hair that reached the middle of her back still held in its loose ponytail at her shoulder blades. Her bangs swept to the right side. Her deep blue eyes peering over the rest of herself.

The whitish blue dress she wore was fairly tight against her slim figure, the shoulders slightly uncovered, revealing her slightly pronounced collar bones. A result of her being in an area where she hunted her own food each day. Artemis ran her slim hands across the front of the dress, as they ran across her chest, she felt a tinge of jealousy at the lack of size compared to some of her guests. Her arms were slim and uncovered by her dress, no excess fat anywhere to be seen on her body.

The dress ran down to mid calf, revealing a similar colored pair of heels, giving her an extra few inches to her height.

Nodding to herself in the mirror, feeling satisfied with her appearance, Artemis made her way down the staircase to converse with her guests.

"Gabriel! How are things in heaven?" She said to the first guest who wasn't already in a conversation.

 **-LineBreak-**

Under the cover of the night sky, two figures were trying to outrun a group of five that had been chasing them. The taller of the two was a hooded woman, the brief glimpse of moonlight showed that she had emerald green eyes, and light blue hair. Her left hand was holding onto a small boy, no more than 7 years old, trying to keep up with her.

The boy had Silver hair, and light blue eyes that shined as the moon graced them with its presence. He stood at half the height of the woman who was dragging him through a forest on the outskirts of his hometown in Japan.

"Run faster Ise!" The woman said as she tried to pick up the pace, weaving around trees and bushes in front of her.

Both the woman and the small boy were sweating from the exertion they had to endure. The group chasing them all wore white robes with teal highlights, and gold trim accents, signifying them as members of the christian church. Dragonslayers to be specific. They each held a longsword in one of their hands, the only type of weapon readily provided to the members of this particular faction.

The womans pale face was far lighter than what could be considered healthy. Her chest heaved at each breath she took, trying to find the energy to get this boy out of danger.

"AH!" The young Issei yelled out, as he tripped over a tree root, and fell face first onto the ground.

The woman stopped in her tracks immediately, and tried to help him up to resume their escape. Her eyes lifted towards their pursuers, only to see them quickly closing in. She withheld a gasp of dread as she saw them almost within striking range.

Quickly thinking of a way to give them more time, the woman lifted her free hand, palm faced upwards. 10 feet in front of the duo, the ground shook before a wall of solidified soil and rock shot up, blocking the immediate route of the church members.

"SHIT! Quick! Run around and grab the boy!" The man leading the church group yelled out.

The boy, now being back on his feet, quickly resumed the running pace they had set.

"Auntie Gaia run!" The young boy shouted to the woman who quickly made her way back to his side.

 **[ISSEI! RUN FASTER!]**

 **-LineBreak-**

Artemis was talking with the Norse Goddesses she got along with the best. Frigg was the Goddess of wisdom, marriage and motherhood. Nanna of joy and peace. These were two of Artemis' favorite Norse deities, always pleasant to hold a conversation with, due to their warm demeanor.

"Artemis, thank you for holding this wonderful event once again. I always enjoy when we can get together like this, and not worry about the politics." Nanna said with a warm smile towards the Greek Goddess.

Nanna was a shorter Goddess, standing at only 5'3. She had light pink wavy hair that reached down to her shoulders. Her Darker pink eyes matching the color of her full lips. She wore a black mid thigh length dress that contrasted well with her physical features.

"I agree, if only we could do this more often." Frigg said, holding the same smile as Nanna.

Standing next to Nanna was a tall brunette at 6 feet even, her long braided hair cascading down the front of her left shoulder. Her light blue eyes glancing from Nanna to Artemis. Frigg wore a long and conservative dark blue dress that came down to her ankles, with the same colored gloves, reaching up to her bicep.

Artemis returned the friendly gesture of the two Goddesses she would readily call friends. These two had always been some of the most welcoming Goddesses among all mythologies. Only a few matched their calm demeanor.

"One day, perhaps we can all gather without the stigma of not talking about or respective factions problems without an argument breaking out." Artemis said, as the three of them laughed, recalling the first few times they got together without that solid rule in place.

A few of the women that had gathered, had gotten into an argument over which of their husbands could overpower the others. It became so bad, that Artemis had to proclaim that she would withhold wild animals from appearing in their factions area of control if they didn't calm down. And ever since then, they all agreed to leave their political ideals at the door, and just enjoy the party.

Artemis excused herself from the conversation as she saw a number of her guests walking towards the front door to head home. They needed to walk through the barrier to allow themselves to teleport themselves, a measure that Artemis felt absolutely necessary to place around her home, to ensure no unwanted guests could sneak up on her.

Artemis approached the front door to see her guests off. Standing at the side of the front door, she offered her goodbyes. Those she was close with would come in for a hug, others a handshake, and a mere nod to those who came only to seek a gathering without worrying about which mythology they were a part of.

With most of the supernatural women now returned to their homes, Artemis turned to see that the few that remained were the ones she was closest to. They were sitting on the couches surrounding the fire pit in the center of the first floor of her home, laughing as they carried on with their talk, probably about some romantic issues, seeing as more than one was a goddess of love.

Walking towards the group of 5 women still present, Artemis sat on the couch facing the door, in case of someone entering. Sitting next to her was red-haired goddess of her own faction, Eos the goddess of the dawn and hope. Her mind calmed after seeing her guests off, she came into hear what they were talking about.

"You _still_ haven't forgiven Krishna?! It's been over a century, surely it wasn't that bad.." The surprised voice of Nanna was directed towards the Hindu Goddess of love and devotion, Parvati.

Parvati narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, giving a huff of annoyance.

"If I hadn't stopped him, we both could've been killed by Kali, she doesn't take to being scared very well. So until he comes to apologize, I avoid him completely."

A light chuckle came from a woman sitting with Nanna, her hand covering her mouth to hide her obvious amusement. Opening her violet eyes, the eastern beauty removed her hand from her mouth to brush some her white tipped raven black hair behind her ear. Kishimo, The Japanese Goddess of children, childbirth and compassion always loved to tease the Hindu Goddess about her request to bless her with a child from a union with the Prankster among their ranks.

"I suppose I should hold off on that blessing then?" Parvati's darkened complexion gained a hint of red, as the female deities laughed at her expense.

"I'm sure if you just ask him to apologize, he will." The small voice of Eos came into the conversation for the first time, she always was one of the less talkative goddesses they'd ever come across. Her words were few and far between, but they always radiated that which she stood for, hope.

Hearing the soft spoken Greek goddess, the laughter died down, and the other women all smiled towards Eos. Her voice always made you believe her words, no matter how outlandish they may have been.

"I agree, given enough time, i'm certain he will realise his mistake and apologise. Just as I am sure that our dear host will find someone special." The words of the Norse Goddess of wisdom turned the attention towards Artemis, who had yet to actually participate in their conversation.

Artemis held an embarrassed smile at being the center of her friends attention. She waved it off as the blush crossed her face.

"Frigg, I think the three powers would come to peace before that happens."

Artemis made eye contact with the Norse Goddess of wisdom, thinking it was only her way of teasing her for the way she shut herself from others, until she saw the white glow in her eyes. At seeing that, Artemis felt her pulse rise, whatever prophecy Frigg was seeing...She wanted no part of it. All men of the supernatural were the same after all...Just horny brutes with no care for their actions.

"Life has a way of surprising even the skeptics my dear. I only hope that you learn to love him in the same unyielding way he will to you."

 **-LineBreak-**

 ***Bang***

A bright flash of light filled the forest that Gaia and Issei were running through, still trying to escape the 5 dragonslayer exorcists. The light came as a thick cloud of gas was ignited in a wide diameter in front of the church members, its bright golden white light halting their advance.

Issei dropped his arms that sparked the blinding light, turning to continue his escape. Trying to run his fastest, he felt as though he was being dragged down, like the wind was pushing him backwards. Turning his head to see behind him, he saw his two silver wings still stretched out, a habit of whenever he used his abilities. Folding them back into his back, he felt the resistance go away, and he could run easier.

"Let's go!" He yelled, grabbing the tired hand of Gaia, and sprinting towards the deepest part of the forest.

After another ten minutes of sprinting, the yells of their pursuers could no longer be heard. Taking shelter in a shallow cave at the base of a small mountain, the woman and young boy stopped to catch their breath, and check the wounds they'd gotten.

"Ise, come here, let me see those cuts." Gaia beckoned him over to her.

Issei stood in front of the woman, both were still panting heavily from running. Gaia grabbed Issei by the shoulders, moving him into the moonlight so she could see where the light bullets had grazed. As they were running, the exorcists seemed to lose interest in capturing Issei, and decided it better to end his life than let him escape.

Luckily their bullets weren't dragonslayer based as well, or they may have succeeded. She ran her hand over the bloody part of his shoulder where the light round had grazed passed him, she released a sigh in relief at seeing that it would heal just fine, maybe a small scar but nothing more.

"I'll be okay Auntie Gaia. But...where do we go now?" Gaia felt her heart sink at the quiet question. Where could they go? There weren't many places that the christian faith hadn't infiltrated. Issei's bloodline made bringing him to the underworld impossible, he'd be killed on the spot. Heaven was the one that was pursuing him, and she wanted to be sure that she could keep tabs on him, in case he needed her later...So they needed to find somewhere on earth where he'd be safe. After all Issei had lost, she owed him that much.

Somewhere...Secluded. Where no unexpected visitors popped up. The Greek personification of the earth could only think of one person who had such a safehouse. But it would be a gamble.

Kneeling down to the boy in front of her, Gaia placed her hands on Issei's shoulders, making him look up to her with slightly teary eyes. She wiped the tears out of his eyes and smiled, wanting to brighten his mood.

"I know of a beautiful place, and you'll be safe there. Hold on to my hand, and I'll bring you there." Standing up, Gaia offered her right hand for the boy to hold on to.

Issei sniffled once more, clearing his tears away and grabbed the hand of the one person left he knew he could trust.

Gaia closed her eyes, focusing on the location she was about to bring them. A green magic circle spiraled out from beneath her, preparing to transport her along with Issei. She could feel the resistance of the barrier placed around her destination, and as the complex barrier felt that her magical signature was related to that of its creator, it allowed her to enter. The circle shined brightly as it encompassed them, they faded away in a quick flash.

 **-LineBreak-**

Artemis stood in her home, swirling a glass of wine in her hand, feeling content at how her party went. These parties always put a fair amount of stress on her, wondering if it would end up in a fight that could affect future relationships. Artemis downed the last bit of her drink and set her glass down on the countertop.

Just as she released her hand from the glass, she felt the familiar sense of someone asking for entry into her barrier, she tilted her head back with her eyes closed as she tried to sense who it was. 'Gaia? It's unlike her to visit me so late.' She thought.

The eyes of the Huntress shot open in a glare of borderline hatred as she felt a male signature along with that of the Earth Goddess. Focusing solely on the male's energy, her face contorted in rage as she looked at it further, noticing that it wasn't human nor god..But that of a creature that had caused mass destruction on multiple occasions. they were about to be let through the barrier, Thinking quickly Artemis allowed both to enter, however she forced Gaia to appear at the edge of the barrier. She would "greet" this man just in front of her home, and end his miserable existence for trying to force his way here.

With the changes to where Gaia and the man she brought with her done, Artemis magically changed into her hunting apparel. A tunic that ended just above the knees that was green in color, her braces on her forearms and shins. Her quiver full of arrows appeared on her back with her silver bow coming into her left hand.

Running out of the front door, the green magic circle she was waiting for appeared. Raising her bow with an arrow pulled back and at the ready, the light died down to reveal a small boy with silver hair much like her own. Her narrowed gaze was locked onto the boy that was turned away from her. 'What is a small boy doing here?'

The boy turned his head from left to right, looking for the woman that was just beside him. He turned around, still searching and froze with wide eyes when he made eye contact with Artemis, and seeing her aggressive gesture.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" She asked the boy, her voice laced with hate and suspicion.

The boy made no movements, she couldn't even see the rise of his chest from breathing, She was growing impatient with the child. Artemis wanted to put down her weapon, but several times now she'd nearly been sexually assaulted, and any contact with the male gender now filled her with rage to the point of being completely irrational.

The first sign of life from the boy was something she never expected, although if her head was clear, it would have been an obvious result. The boy sank to his knees, his eyes glazed over as tears formed at the edges. His head hung down in surrender, and the clear lines of tears fell from his face to the grass below him.

Not deterred by the silent sobbing, Artemis released her arrow, aiming at the ground just in his sight. The arrow sped to the ground, the child only slightly flinched as it almost hit his knee, but he kept his head down.

Artemis heard him mumble quietly, just loud enough for her to hear, but the tension on her newly placed arrow still remained.

"Why..(sniff) Does everyone want to hurt me?" Issei's head lifted to make eye contact with the woman he'd been told could keep him safe, his light blue eyes bloodshot.

The Huntress pulled more tension onto her arrow, not wanting to fall for any tricks, for all she knew, this boy could be a shapeshifter that used Gaia to get to her.

Quick footsteps could be heard approaching from the distance by Issei, the boy turned his head to look where they were coming from, his eyes gaining a little life to them. Artemis only looked towards her peripheral, not wanting to move her head, in case this was a trap. Artemis assumed that Gaia was approaching, but due to the runes she placed in the barrier, no locating spells could be used other than the one to allow beings into her home.

"ARTEMIS STOP! Don't hurt him!" The blue-haired Goddess yelled out, Causing Issei to seize the opportunity to flee. Artemis turned towards the running Earth Goddess briefly, to see a fear stricken look on her face.

The 2 silver dragon wings appeared out of his upper back, his head quickly drew back as he took in a deep breath. Issei released his breath, a dark cloud of gas quickly filling the area, then bringing both hands towards each other quickly and clapping them together as he yelled out a command.

"IGNITE!"

The sound of his clap, was quickly followed by an explosion and a blinding white light, making both Greek Goddesses cover their eyes.

His cover made, Issei quickly got from his knees and sprinted with what little energy he had left away from the two women, wanting nothing more than this game of cat and mouse to stop. As the light began to die down, Issei was gone in the cover of the darkened forest.

Removing her hands that were covering her eyes, Gaia felt absolute fear crawl its way into her heart. Issei was nowhere to be seen, and couldn't be found because of the magic in place here...Where she told him he'd be safe. And where he'd just been threatened once again.

Losing herself to the emotions quickly swelling up inside her, Gaia fell to her knees, clutching her chest with both hands. She knew better than anyone, that if Issei didn't want to be found, there was little she could do while he was still inside Artemis' barrier. Her only hope unfortunately, was if he ventured outside of it. And for the second time today, tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

Artemis was both shocked and confused at what she had just felt and seen. That small boy, had just combined two elements she never knew could coexist. And at such a young age. Within the matter of 2 or 3 seconds, he expended enough gas to cover a 25 foot line of gas, and ignite it. But the more surprising part was the attribute of the spark and resulting flame once it burst into flames. It was of a holy nature. Not divine like most mythologies had access to. Holy, and in the purest form she ever experienced. She didn't understand how a being like that could exist and not be known to all major supernatural entities.

Turning towards her fellow Greek Goddess, Artemis saw Gaia on her knees sobbing, clutching her chest as if her heart was in intense pain. 'So this boy is important to her?' Artemis thought as she placed her bow on her back, and placed a hand on the shoulder of the Earth Goddess. Feeling as though, she had just made a big mistake in attempting to attack the boy.

"Gaia, who was that-" Her words were cut off by the swift hand that slapped across her face. Artemis' head turned with the direction of the contact, her eyes wide open in shock that the normally passive and compassionate woman had just physically assaulted her.

Gaia's eyes were narrowed and locked onto Artemis. Her hand still raised in the air in the position it released contact with the Huntress. She quickly rose from her knees.

"How _dare_ you...Attacking a mere _child_ for doing nothing other than accompanying me. Are you so _fucking_ broken that you'd kill a 7 year old boy who wants nothing more than to live in peace?" Her voice was low and venomous, a tone which hadn't been heard in more than a millenia.

 **-LineBreak-**

Issei ran through the forest, his chest burning from the physical exertion. He'd long since gone passed his limit, but he ignored the burn of lactic acid built in his small muscles in favor of trying to run to salvation. The trees were thinning in front of him, a sign that he was almost at the edge of the forest. Issei's ears picked up the sound of ocean waves crashing against rocks in the distance straight ahead of him. His thoughts were stuck on one thing as he ran. To end this pain, it had spread throughout his entire being over the last 48 hours. Everything hurt, his muscles, his head, his heart….everything.

 **[Issei….Don't. Don't do this.]** A deep powerful voice rang inside of his head.

Issei shook it off, not wanting to listen.

'If my life...is going to be like this...Than...I don't want it.' He answered back cryptically.

The last of the trees came into view, and a cliffside just behind it. Just as he came to the treeline, he felt as though he had walked through a spider web that covered his entire body. Issei came stopped running, and figured he was far enough to just walk to the edge.

 **[What would your parents think? What about Gaia? Hell..What about me, doesn't my opinion matter?]**

Issei kept walking to the edge of the tall cliff, images popping into his head as the people his companion mentioned them. The memories only brought the tears he'd been trying to hold back since he started running.

'Why does it matter Albion? Just about everyone wants me dead or in pieces. My parents are dead, Auntie Gaia brought me to another woman who wants to kill me. There isn't a place for me anymore.' Issei's thoughts were far clearer than any 7 year olds should be after the last few days. A _normal_ boy would be cowering in fear and listening to whatever he was told to do. But that was never the way his parents raised him, instilling a sense of free will and making his own choices as far back as he could remember.

Albion had to pause to think of his next words, his host...no. His _Grandson_ was walking towards his own death, to avoid giving someone else the satisfaction of ending the last of the Vanishing Dragons descendants. Quickly collecting his thoughts, and trying to find the right words to at least get Issei away from the edge of the rocky cliff, he spoke.

 **[I know how you feel. In my younger days, when the dragonslayers first came into existence, I thought myself along with the rest of dragonkind had no place in the current world. But...Dragons are strong, and resilient. We** _ **made**_ **a home for ourselves. I'll help you do that, we'll make a home for ourselves, if you'll only let me.]**

Issei was standing at the edge, looking over the cliff, and down the 100 foot fall into the jagged rocks that were splashed by the oceans waves. Albions words brought forth the pleasant memories of his mother, and how she spoke so highly of how she was the direct descendant of one of the heavenly dragons. One that fought tooth and claw to secure his own place in the world, until the welsh dragon had the misconception that he'd been the one to attack his mate and child. But not even those warm thoughts would change his stubborn young mind at the moment.

With both his feet planted at the very edge of the ground before the fall, Issei took a deep breath, hoping this would be over soon he took the final step.

 **-LineBreak-**

Artemis had never seen nor heard Gaia like this in person before, only mere tales of the darker side of her personality remained, as there were very few that had encountered it and lived to tell about it. Gaia had ended her tirade a few moments ago, and took a stance to sense the exact millisecond that the boy touched the ground outside of her barrier, but unfortunately had no luck thus far. She opened her eyes and gave Artemis a look that left no room for argument.

"Release the barrier."

"WHAT?! Do you have any idea-" Artemis was once again cut off by her elder deity.

"Let me make myself _perfectly_ clear." Gaia began with that same cold, dark tone.

Artemis felt an ominous shiver attempting to make its way up her spine. Her eyes locked onto Gaia's narrowed green ones.

"If anything happens to Ise. You won't survive the night."

 **END**

 **You may be wondering...Why the fuck Is little Issei feeling suicidal after 2 days worth of being on the run. Well...When you were 7, didn't a single 24 hour period feel like forever?! It did to me, so 48 hrs feels incredibly long. That plus the stuff that brought him on the run brought him to that point. But I don't want to give away too much.**

 **UNTIL NEXT TIME.**


	2. Heard of the Bermuda Triangle?

**YO! Been a minute eh? I've been busy and all that nonsense. So let me know how this is...I'm feeling a bit out of touch. My goal for this chapter is to just set the stage for info and a bit of what Artemis is going to have to deal with to accept Issei, the lasting psychological trauma of being almost raped multiple times. Also this would have been out a day or two ago...but apparently safari doesnt like to upload docs, took me a bit to figure out that for whatever reason I need to use chrome**

Gaia knelt on the ground, as Artemis started to remove the barrier around her home, trying to feel for Issei's footsteps on the earth. The past few minutes had been unsuccessful, so the only logical thought she had, was that he still had to be in the barrier.

Neither of them had spoken since Gaia made her promise of death should any harm come to the boy she had come to love as her own son over the past several years.

Gaia could feel the animals walking through the forest on the island, the waves crashing against the rocks, the birds perched on tree branches. But no signs of her godson.

'Where are you Ise?' She thought, her face contorting in worry and slight panic. She took deep breathes to try and calm her rapidly beating heart.

The barrier was beginning to dissolve, starting at the top, making its way to ground level slowly. Artemis' eyes were closed in concentration.

As the transparent barrier was almost completely removed, Gaia's eyes widened as she finally felt where Ise was, running towards the cliff.

Quickly getting to her feet, Gaia sensed the area around him, looking for any reason why he would still be running. She tried to sense if anyone was chasing him, only to find that he was alone.

She felt her breath hitch as she felt him walk up to the edge to the cliff, the tips of his feet mere centimeters from sending him down onto the jagged rocks below.

'Ise, please don't.' She thought, immediately preparing to teleport herself to his location.

"Artemis hurry! He's about to jump off the cliff!" She yelled out to the Huntress.

Artemis scrunched her eyes as she forced the barrier to dispel quicker, not wanting her death to be caused by dispelling a barrier too slowly.

Artemis lowered her arms as the barrier was finally gone. She looked over towards Gaia, seeing a swirl of water surround the Earth Goddess.

"It's down."

"Okeanós!" Gaia yelled out, the water twisted around, swallowing her entire body. Artemis looked at the sight in awe, the people still alive who had witnessed Gaia use this ability were able to be counted on one hand.

Gaia's body turned transparent, matching the water. As her body melded with the liquid it then fell to the ground, immediately soaking into the ground as it had been commanded to do. The only sign that anyone had just been present there, was the soaked dirt in the shape of a pair of footprints.

Artemis stood looking at the spot where Gaia had just disappeared from, her mind still trying to make sense of the events of the past few moments. The words spoken by the Earth Goddess replaying in her ears, ' _Broken'_ was the one that stood out to Artemis.

Was she really so far gone that she would maim or kill a child? Was she not the guardian and protector of those who were not old enough to do so themselves? The rational and irrational parts of the Huntress' mind clashed at the thought. Yes, she had sworn to protect those of future generations. However, The boy was of a gender that had done nothing but cause her pain, and of a race that had been known to cause devastation on a global scale.

But Artemis was also a hunter of legendary note, the Goddess of the Hunt was her most prevalent title. And her responsibilities and skills as such put her as the prime candidate to deal the threat the boy could and most likely would one day present.

And if Gaia thought it necessary to bring him here to her island home, then something or someone with a far reach had to be searching for him. If such measures were necessary, then the pursuers reasoning had to at least have some merit to it, right?

That last thought brought more questions that Artemis felt entitled to, especially if Gaia had the intention of staying here with her young charge for any length of time. Her eyes shifted to the only cliffside in close proximity to the Goddess' home, squared her shoulders with determination to get her answers and walked to where she knew that Gaia and the boy had to be.

 **-LineBreak-**

The last step Issei took sent him falling off the cliff, towards the wet jagged rocks. He watched the rocks get bigger in his vision as he fell. feeling a calm sense of anticipation and hope that maybe, just maybe, his choice would let him see his parents soon.

Issei closed his eyes, waiting for the impact, enjoying the air rushing over his body. A feeling he had yet to really get the chance to experience, his wings weren't strong enough for more than gliding yet.

'This must be what my parents were talking about' He thought, recalling how his parents would try to explain the feeling of flying through the air with their wings. A small smile marked his face, remembering his parents say flying gave an unparalleled sense of freedom, and he had to agree that his free fall had a similar feeling.

Issei heard what sounded like a large wave crash over the rocks, and opened his eyes to look down towards it.

Water crashed over the rocks that were quickly coming close, a large wave having covered them for the moment. As the water started to retreat back into the depths of the ocean, it kept the rocks covered and started to swirl in a counter-clockwise motion directly underneath where Issei was falling.

Issei's eyes widened in surprise at the unnatural movement happening below him. The water started to spin itself into a rising water spout, its width only a few inches more than Issei's arm span. As it took form and rose higher, the top of the water spout started to shift in appearance, into what looked like a female form.

The shape was quickly recognized by Issei as it finally came into view, it was one that he was well acquainted with, the shape was his Godmother Gaia. Even with her body being made completely made of water, Issei was quick to spot the pained look on her face, and what looked like tears falling from her eyes.

Gaia's liquid body opened her arms to catch Issei as the water quickly lifted her higher to stop his fall. The rushing sound of water burst into the air as she commanded the water to bring her to catch Issei.

Seeing his Godmother down below him with her arms open, Issei felt the sinking feeling of regret. In his own moment of pain and weakness, only thinking of his own desire to see his parents, he had nearly added to the pain that Gaia was feeling. He knew that he and his parents were important to his Godmother, she had already lost two people, and he was just about to add himself to the list of people she cared for and would miss.

As that thought ran through his mind, Issei leveled himself out, willing his wings to spread from his back. With the new wind resistance of his extra appendages, his fall quickly become much slower, and he spread his arms to welcome the embrace Gaia was offering so he could apologize.

Gaia took advantage of his slowing descent, and sped herself up to wrap her arms around Issei, her body taking its normal form staring at her shins. As she reached him, one arm wrapped around his waist, the other holding the back of his head and pulled him to rest his head on her shoulder. The water kept carrying the two of them up towards the cliffside, as she nuzzled her cheek against Issei's unruly silver hair, tears of relief replaced those of panic.

'I made it…' She thought. It had been a close call, only a few more seconds and she would have been recovering what had once been Issei from the rocks. And then she would have had to follow through with her threat to Artemis.

Gaia felt Issei wrap his arms around her to return the embrace, his body cold and shaking slightly. She knew that his shaking wasn't from being cold, his body was naturally immune to minor temperature changes, and the wet feeling on her shoulder wasn't from her transformation.

Gaia let Issei's emotions flow freely as she ran her hand through his hair slowly and gently, just taking in the moment of him safe in her arms.

'He may normally be as mature as someone twice his age..but he's still only 7.' Gaia thought as the boy let everything he's felt and experienced come pouring out.

The water carried the two of them to the cliffside gently, where Gaia stepped out of the water and a safe distance away from the drop off. She knelt down to ground to place Issei's feet down to stand on his own, but didn't release her hold on him.

"I'm sorry." Issei muttered into his Godmothers shoulder.

The Earth goddess removed her arms from around Issei, placing them on his shoulders and lightly pushed him to stand a few inched so that they could see each others face.

Issei's face was wet with tears, his eyes bloodshot, and his body still had the occasional shake from holding back a sob.

Gaia set her face into a stern look that she struggled to hold as she looked into her Godsons face that held all the same emotions she was feeling.

"Ise, how could you do that to me?" She spoke, trying to emulate the same tone of voice his mother would use. Her words made him flinch and look down to the ground in shame, he knew exactly what she meant, and what it do to her if he had succeeded.

"Aunt Ga-" Issei started

"Hush young man." Gaia cut him off sternly, her face softened along with her voice.

"I know. I know it hurts, and you miss your parents. But, you still have Albion, and he's your family. I'm here for you too, and I love you every bit as much as your parents. Unless you don't accept me as family…."

her voice was emotionally charged, but she wanted to bring Issei's thoughts from those of pain, to the fierce love and loyalty she knew he had for those that he considered a part of his family.

Her words made Issei raise his head immediately, eyes wide almost as if he couldn't believe that she thought that he thought of her as anything but a blood relative.

"I do!" Issei called out in a voice that was borderline yelling, considering the distance the two of them were currently standing at.

"You're my family, and I love you…" the conviction in the young boys voice fell off, his eyes once more casting themselves to the ground. "It's just….I don't know what to do now." He finished in a near whisper.

Gaia opened her mouth to reply, but the sound of a piece of wood snapping under footsteps brought her attention to the edge of the woods. Issei's eyes also snapped to the direction of the sound, his wings instinctively appearing from his back, his body temperature rising to prepare to use his natural born abilities.

Gaia got to her feet quickly, and moved to place Issei behind her to protect him, She raised a hand with the palm facing outward towards the body of the person stepping towards them and out of the cover of the woods.

"Stop right there!"

 **-LineBreak-**

Artemis made her way into the woods, her bow still had an arrow knocked and pointed towards the ground, but no less at the ready for any danger. The eyes of the Huntress were quickly scanning back and forth for any sign of trespassers, her home had been made vulnerable to outside forces once the barrier was removed, something she was keenly aware of and hoping beyond hope that it wouldn't be exploited before it could be replaced.

But her immediate concern was what had brought the two visitors she was currently looking for. And as her mind strayed in that direction, the questions of why Gaia thought it was a good idea to bring the _supposed_ young boy to her island, and how to deal with the situation were bubbling in her mind.

Should she just take action against the boy and hope that Gaia's threat was an empty one? Should she turn them away and find some way to force them to leave, so that she could repair the barrier which had brought her peace of mind? Or should she offer them a place to stay for the time being?

In another time, Artemis would have taken the third option, but after all she'd been through with men, young and old, she felt more inclined to take either of the two prior options. And the first one doubly so, with the boy being a dragon in human form, and considering that the boy had a holy attribute that would only add to his list of potential enemies.

'He should be put down on principle, that's why the dragon slayers of the church were first commissioned was it not? Dragonkind has done nothing but cause problems for the masses. If even the most supposed benevolent god in existence sees fit to create a sub-faction to deal with the threat they represent, how can I just ignore such a decree of a leader of a faction?' Artemis argued internally, trying to come to some sort of solid answer for her current predicament.

Her thoughts were brought to a quick halt as she heard voices in the distance. Raising her bow and pulling slight tension on the knocked arrow, she readied herself for an attack just in case.

Artemis stopped ten feet from the clearing of the forest aside one of the larger trees, eavesdropping on the conversation going on, but was only able to pick up little pieces.

"it hurts" "Albion….Your family." "I do!" were the only words she was able to pick up on, but it was enough. Increasing the tension on the arrow to be fully pulled back, Artemis made herself known as she walked forward with the presence of a hunter.

Those few words made it sound to her like the boy had somehow managed to harm Gaia, and thus only solidifying her thought that he wasn't the young boy he portrayed himself to be, no matter what her elder Goddess said. For all she knew, he could be shape shifter who had manipulated Gaia for his own ends.

As she took one of the last steps until she was out of the clearing, she hadn't noticed the branch under her feet until it was too late. The snapping sound of wood alerted both Gaia and the boy that she was there and watching them.

Artemis was surprised at how quickly Gaia stepped in front of the boy to defend him from her.

"Stop right there!" Artemis heard Gaia call out, the Earth Goddess' palm was facing her, which could either be in preparation for an attack or just a simple gesture…But Artemis was not willing to find out, so she stopped in place, but kept her bow ready.

With all of the questions that Artemis had been thinking of, the only one that seemed to come to mind was…Why? why now, why here, why was this boy with her? The others seemed to fade away into the back of her mind with the tension of the moment.

"Who is this boy Gaia? Why did you bring him here?" It seemed like a good enough question to blanket most of the things she wanted to know.

Gaia didn't respond right away, she kept her palm pointed towards Artemis. Her posture was that of someone who held absolute authority, her eyes narrowed as she replied.

"Lower your weapon Artemis, you will bring no harm to my Godson."

The Huntress' mind was brought to a halt, 'Godson?' she thought. Only the modern religions used such terms, and Gaia was one of the original deities of her own pantheon, so that just didn't make sense.

Before Artemis had the chance to say anything Gaia continued.

"Let's head back to your home, I'll help you restore your barrier, and Ise needs to rest…The last few days haven't been easy on him."

At the mention of bringing this boy into her home, her one place of solitude, Artemis reaffirmed her hold on the bow and arrow in her hands, and glared at the earth goddess.

"I don't trust him Gaia. Child or not, being what he is will bring nothing but trouble."

a sigh of frustration came from Gaia's mouth, her fellow greek was trying her patience.

"Fine. Don't trust him, trust me. I won't let you harm him, nor will I let him harm you."

Artemis scoffed at the idea of a small boy getting the upper hand on her in any situation, but kept her thoughts to herself. She didn't like what Gaia was asking for, but Artemis had always known Gaia to hold to her word. Reluctantly she slowly let the tension off her bow, pointing it towards the ground.

Gaia let her arm drop down to the side, but her eyes locked onto Artemis to be sure no attack would come before moving from in front of Issei.

"Once the barrier is reestablished, I want answers." Artemis said, then turning to walk back to her house in the woods.

Gaia turned towards Issei to offer him her hand. The young boy's wings retreated into his back, his eyes glancing back and forth between where Artemis was walking and Gaia.

"I don't want to stay here Aunt Gaia, she doesn't like me."

"It'll be alright Issei, she just needs a chance to get to know you, that's all."

Instead of taking his hand, Gaia knelt down and picked Issei up and followed Artemis into the woods.

 **-LineBreak-**

Artemis sat in the same seat she had just a while ago while talking with her friends from the party, collecting her thoughts.

As Gaia had reached the steps to her home, a simple mental command was all it took for a barrier constructed from her own magical prowess and surrounded by powerful air currents to be put into place. The new barrier held all of the same properties, but was at least twice as strong. Seeing how simple it was for the Earth Goddess to erect it was a humbling reminder of how outclassed Artemis was compared to a primordial Deity.

After seeing that, Artemis knew that if she had attacked the boy, Gaia could have ended her life easily if she so wanted.

Artemis then heard Gaia coming down the steps, as she turned her head to see the primordial entity, Artemis saw the tired but happy smile on her face. Artemis continued to watch as Gaia walked over and sat herself on the sofa across from Artemis.

A long sigh escaped Gaia as she sank into the seat, her head resting against the back on the sofa. She picked her head up and settled in for the conversation she knew Artemis wanted to have.

"Now that Issei is asleep, and your barrier is back in place, you said you wanted answers. Go ahead and ask your questions, I'll answer to the best of my ability."

Artemis leaned forward in her seat, trying to place an order to the questions she had wanted to ask, and find the one she should ask first. Should she go for the reason that brought them here? Or who the boy was to her? How they came to meet? No, she wanted to know who the boy was first and foremost, the rest would fall into place after that.

"Who is he?" Artemis asked briskly.

"His name is Issei Hyoudou, he's seven years old, i've known him his entire life. And unfortunately, he's now an orphan."

"You called him your Godson." Artemis stated, it wasn't a question, but more a recollection of things said earlier.

Gaia nodded in response "That's right, his parents were close friends of mine. And they asked me to look after him should anything happen to them. Godmother was term they used, but Ise calls me his Aunt."

"When he first appeared in front of me, he asked why everyone wanted to hurt him, who's he referring to?" Artemis asked, wanting to know just who she might have to prepare for, should they come knocking.

"The christian church, dragon slayers. They've been chasing after us for two days." Gaia said with a note of anger.

"Why?"

A long sigh escaped Gaia as she reigned in her emotions. "Thats a bit of a long story."

Artemis crossed one leg over the other, and crossed her arms as she shrugged.

"I have the time, and I'd like to know exactly what it is i've just been unwillingly involved in."

Gaia nodded, thinking of where to start her story, and which secrets to reveal.

"Issei and his parents lived in Japan, on ancient dragon breeding grounds. A small city was built over it, so now it's more of an honorary title for the land since a dragon no longer lives there. His father was the last known Holy dragon in existence, a direct descendant of the dragon that the churches famous dragon slaying holy sword was forged from."

Artemis arched an eyebrow and interrupted Gaia's story.

"This boy is a direct descendent of Ascalon?"

"Yes. a few weeks ago, a member of the church came to their home and asked if they would be willing to help with a project commissioned by heaven to produce more holy sword wielders. His parents were at least willing to hear them out. Apparently a sub goal of the project was to also to hopefully find a way to mass produce holy weapons, instead of just the light based swords they use now. The exorcist was the father of one of Issei's friends that had just moved away, Ise let his heritage slip and the young girl said something to her father. The father brought word up the chain that he knew someone who might be willing and able to help them along."

Artemis raised one hand up "wait."

The huntress uncrossed her legs and sat forward in her seat.

"Couldn't their God just create more holy weapons for them? He was the one that created most of them in the first place." She argued, confused as to why they needed to go to such lengths to arm themselves.

Gaia shook her head, forgetting that very few knew the truth. But for Artemis to understand the full reasoning, she needed to be told why they wanted Issei so badly.

"That's not possible. He's dead." She said simply.

Artemis was shocked from the revelation, she was absolutely still in her seat as the new information sank in. The only thing she could ask was "….How…."

"You're aware of the lasting effects on land and the atmosphere when a great amount to energy is used correct?" Gaia asked her fellow Goddess. Artemis nodded silently, waiting for the continuation.

"During the end of the three powers war, it wasn't only the four Satans that died like most believe. Heaven is now without its God, and almost no one is aware of it. The battle where God and the Satans fell is the location now known as the Bermuda Triangle. The amount of power the leaders used has been effecting that area for centuries, and I'm not sure it will ever go back to normal. So without their God, the church has no way to make new holy weapons."

Artemis thought over the reasons why the death of the leader of Heaven was hidden. Being among the most prominent religions in todays world had left many from other factions angry, like a birthright was stolen from them. The Hindu was the most notable that would probably take advantage of the situation.

Even the Greek and Norse factions had members that had shared their mutual negative feelings of how the Christian faith had taken their followers, and thus weakening their pantheons. So with that in mind, it was easy to see why it was kept secret, the face of the world could be changed if it were common knowledge.

"I see. So then what exactly did the church need from Issei to try and make these new wielders and weapons?" Artemis asked, leaning back into her seat once more. Gaia held back the urge to smile, Artemis had used Issei's name for the first time. Hopefully that was a sign that she was at least willing to give him a chance to prove that he was nothing like the men she's known.

"The church wanted to bring Ise to the site of the experiment, apparently they had child volunteers from orphanages that are in control of the church. The had a high ranking member that had a theory of how to pull the holy attribute from his blood and give it to others, but being a child himself, only children would be able to accept it and make it usable."

"I can see how that conversation would turn south quickly, I can't imagine his parents were happy with the idea of their son being poked with needles and drained." Artemis said.

Gaia nodded in agreement. "Exactly, so they politely declined. His father offered his blood instead, but they said that wouldn't help. And then the church member left."

Gaia's face grew dark as she continued her story, Artemis picked up on the change, and waited for the more unfortunate part of what must have happened since she had been told Issei was an orphan.

"A few nights ago, the church returned with different people, and they brought a dozen dragon slayers with him. Issei and I had been out in a field, I was helping him get used to using his wings. When we came back, the house was torn apart. We found his mother already dead, and his father had been dealt a fatal blow by a strong demonic dragon slaying blade. If they hadn't been caught off guard in the night, his parents would have had no problem dealing with the threat, but a simultaneous sneak attack from multiple sides is hard to defend against in close quarters. So I took Issei and ran, the five of them that were still alive chased after us. No matter where we seemed to go, they found us. So I brought him here until I could come up with somewhere safe to bring him to live in peace."

Artemis face scrunched as a thought crossed her mind. If their God was dead, that would probably leave Michael in charge of Heaven, and unless the church was in dire straits Artemis couldn't see them approving of using force against anyone that wasn't an active threat against them. Gabriel certainly wouldn't approve, and Michael had always been easy for her to sway to her side.

"Why didn't you deal with the exorcists yourself? Why run?"

"I was on Shinto ground, if I had taken a life on their territory, it could be grounds for war. My main concern was to get Ise out of there." Gaia replied.

Now that Artemis had the details that brought Gaia and Issei to her doorstep, she was curious why embodiment of the earth seemed so protective of him. Surely it couldn't be just for the fact of being a child of her friends.

"Aside from the holy dragon part, what makes this boy so special? You were ready to kill me to protect him."

Gaia smiled at that, one day Artemis might understand, if she would let Issei be close to her for any amount of time.

"If I ever had a child of my own, and not just bringing life through my power as I have with the others, I could only hope they would be like Issei. His love and loyalty to those close to him is so unyielding, so absolute, there's nothing he wouldn't do for a friend or loved one. I hope you give him the chance to prove he's nothing like any other male you've met. You've no doubt heard how dragons protect their treasures."

' _I just hope you learn to love him in the same unyielding way he will for you.'_

Artemis heard the words Frigg had spoken during the after party earlier replaying themselves in her mind. The Norse Goddess hadn't given any clues as to how to identify who this person is, but the way Gaia described Issei was a little too close for Artemis' liking. Even if Artemis was interested in a relationship at all, if Frigg was implying that she saw her and Issei together, then she needed to have a talk with the woman.

"Hmph, we'll just have to see about that."

 **-LineBreak-**

Up in the Guest bedroom, Issei was asleep on the large bed, spending some time with the last family member he has.

In his dreamscape, he was a near carbon copy of his grandfather, though on a much smaller scale.

While Albion was nearly 100 feet long from nose to the tip of his tail and a pure white. Issei was 10 feet long, but a bright silver color instead of white. Both had golden horns protruding from the tops of their heads, sloping backwards. And each of the dragons had light blue eyes.

" **How does it feel?"** Albion asked of his grandson.

Inside of his own mind, Issei's wings could have the strength to fly, so Albion had decided to give him his first lesson. The first hour had been spent with nothing but failed attempts, and then another hour of barely getting a few feet off of the ground. But eventually Issei was able to get started, and quickly get the hang of using his wings for actual flight.

"IT FEELS AMAZING GRANDPA!" Issei yelled excitedly.

Albion gave a deep chuckle. It was few and far between when the boy would actually refer to him as his grandfather, and those moments were all etched vividly into the elder dragons mind.

They soared through the air towards the ground, both coming to a running stop once their feet met the ground. Once stopped, Issei was panting from the exertion, while Albion wasn't fazed in the slightest.

"I hope it won't be too long before my wings on my real body can carry my weight." Issei said once he had caught his breath.

Albion nodded, a winged creature was meant to soar through the skies, it was almost a form of torture to deny them that pleasure.

" **Your wings are close to the level of strength needed. If you keep practicing, maybe in a few weeks you would be able to fly for a few minutes."**

Albion walked over to his grandson, who he towered over with the extreme height difference. Albion's long tail wrapped around Issei, and its weight held him in place. It was time for a family talk.

" **Issei. I know our relationship is new to you. You haven't been able to talk to me for very long yet. However, I've been awake and watching over you since you were three years old. My power will always be at your disposal, should you or those close to you be in danger."**

Albions voice gained a softer hint to it as he spoke to his last living family member. It was a sobering thought really, one that helped bring things into perspective. For the past few centuries, all he thought about was getting revenge on Ddraig and his host for what he started between the two of them, but he would put that to an end if at all possible to keep Issei alive.

"I'm glad I have you with me, even if your only in my head, I know i'll never really be alone." Issei said to his grandfather through his reptilian features.

The two of them were silent for a few more moments, enjoying the quiet. Issei was the one to break it.

"Is it alright for me to call you Grandpa? or should I just call you by your name?" He asked with honest curiosity. True to what Albion had said, their relationship was still new, having only found out about him a few months ago.

Albion pondered that with a fond smile. If circumstances were different, he wouldn't mind in the least to be publicly announced as Issei's grandfather, but perhaps things should be kept quiet for the time being.

" **In private, I wouldn't mind if you openly name me a part of your family. In public however, I believe some discretion should be used. We don't want people to have more reasons to come after you."**

Issei's reptilian face took on a more opaque color as that statement sank in. Being chased by the church was bad enough for being a holy dragon. But who knows what could happen if it were common knowledge that The Vanishing Dragon still had a living relative. Issei nodded silently and vigorously, agreeing that causing more people to look for him was a bad idea.

Albion took over the conversation once more, but this time to help prepare his grandson for what to expect once his natural abilities matured just a little bit more.

" **Now, why don't we practice with your fire and poison…"**

 **-LineBreak-**

It was early in the morning, before sunrise as the crew of dragon slayers made their way back into the building where they had been dispatched from to find the young holy dragon. They all knew the potential danger of failing, the least of which was to be excommunicated. Had they not been fearing for their lives they might have laughed at the thought. The man who had sent them to retrieve the boy was far beyond what the church deemed appropriate measures, but he was obsessed with his work on Holy Swords, and would use any means necessary. And they had been given orders to follow his command, so there was little they could actually do.

One of the surviving members had suggested that they just not return to their post, but that idea was rejected since they didn't know what lengths the Arch-Bishop would go to, to get rid of loose ends.

Walking through the halls of the desolate looking stone building felt like a walk to their graves. The morning dew came in through what should have been openings where the glass panes for windows would be placed, but they were never added. It added an additional chill to the building along with an added creep factor with the way the light tended to reflect off of the moisture on the stone walls and floors.

Once they finally made it to the room they had to report their failure in, their heads sagged down in shame and fear. The Arch-Bishop was a short and stocky man, his receding gray hairline was covered by the circular cap laid on top his head. His eyes seemed to be permanently shut with a cruel smile. And as he stood before the group of five men, his eyes had opened for the first time since they had been placed under his command, it was then they all knew that their fates were sealed.

"Why do I not see the boy with you?" The Bishop asked. His eyes were black with pinpoint pupils, the crazed look was indisputable.

The new defect leader of the failed crew stepped forward, and tried to look as dignified as he could at what he knew would be some of his last moments on this earth.

"Sir, half of our team was brought down by the boys parents, but he wasn't home at the time. He returned with another woman who helped him successfully escape us after about two days of pursuit. We…..Lost him after that."

If the Arch-Bishop felt anything at the results of his underlings mission, he didn't let it show. Instead he paced around the room for a moment, before a sickening smile broke out over his face.

"I see…Well, when dealing with dragons, nothing is expected to go exactly as planned. We will just have to go with….Plan B."

"Sir, what…..exactly is plan B?" The leader asked.

Black pinpoint pupils locked onto their brown target. That unblinking stare was unsettling to say the least. And that smile….

"If our current subjects are unable to adapt…We will just have to dispose of them, take what we need and get new _volunteers_."

 **END**

 **I Thought this would be a good stopping point as any, Next chapter will skip a week. It may be a while before I get to it, i want to update A Different Direction next. Then write out Red Dragon Emperor of Ravenous Flames. Then ill get to diabolos and crimson flames of domination.**


	3. Before I Leave

Sitting atop her throne, Frigg was peering into a vision that had been building in clarity over the past few weeks.

Every couple of days, a new piece would become clearer, some new detail, thought, or word would reveal itself, each time she would find herself more and more intrigued.

Her vision was of Artemis, and while Frigg initially thought this vision was of a time not so far into the future, other elements of the room her vision showed said otherwise.

 **Friggs vision**

 _Artemis sank down to the floor with her back against the wall, the wood the room was made of echoing the small sounds of her quiet sobbing._

 _The Greek Goddess' head was hung low, her hands clutching something to her chest, as if it were the last reminder of a loved one who'd passed on._

 _The shaky breaths died down for a brief moment, before Artemis threw the object in her grasp towards the opposite side of the room. The sound of glass shattering and falling onto to the floor was the only sound before her scream laced with too many emotions to tell them all apart. The most identifiable however, was anger._

 _She was angry. She was angry at her brother who caused this whole situation. She was angry at the men who were responsible for this fear of having any feelings other than revulsion towards their gender. Angry at herself for not being able to say the words he deserved to hear, that she wanted to say._

 _Artemis placed her arms on her bent knees, and laid her head on them. The flickering of the eternally burning lamps making the silver pendant on her left wrist shine._

 _she stayed in that position for nearly an hour. When she picked her head up, her normally clear deep blue irises were bloodshot and clouded with tears. Her right hand gently ran over the gift she'd been given that morning. A leather string that held a dragon scale that had been worked into an oval, and expertly carved into it was a bow and arrow._

 _As the vision started to fade to black, Artemis muttered. "I love you too."_

 **Vision End**

As Frigg opened her eyes, she made note of the new details she'd picked up. This was the first time she'd heard any sound, and the words Artemis spoke were greatly surprising. A brief frown marred her face as she thought of how the Grecian clearly hadn't been able to say the words to the mans face, but instead into an empty room.

'What was it that made you push him away I wonder..'

Standing up, she walked towards the hallway that would lead to her bedroom, but felt the pull of a new vision. This one only a still image.

A tall male figure dressed in a black leather jacket, a navy blue V-neck T-shirt, and weathered jeans. Silver hair, blue eyes. The part that caught Frigg off guard were the four wings coming from his back. The larger set were silver and shining in the sunlight, each wing was longer than the young man was tall. The other set looked metallic, the ridges were white and the membranes looked as if they were made of a blue energy. There was no mistaking what those wings were.

The image Showed the young man floating just above the ground holding Artemis in his arms, who's typical hunting clothes were torn and hardly covering her. Blood trickling down from her mouth, as well as several cuts on her body.

As Frigg laid herself in bed, a smile crossed her face, when the two of them separated at least she'd know that it wasn't permanent. There was hope yet for that love to take hold.

 _How interesting…_

 **-LineBreak-**

To an immortal being, one month typically came and went in the blink of an eye. But for Artemis, this past month had felt extremely slow, like the second hand on the clock was frozen in place.

For the first three days after her two guests arrived, the boy….Issei, had refused to come out of the room he'd slept in. And Gaia would spend most of the day in there with him, doing god knows what. She would only leave to prepare some food for him.

The next week had been him doing his best to stay out of Artemis' line of sight, clearly afraid of angering her or that she would try and attack him again.

At the start of their second week in her isolated home, Issei had gathered the courage to stand before her, but wouldn't make eye contact. His body was lightly shaking out of nervousness.

"I'm sorry Lady Artemis." He muttered through a shaky voice with his head bowed low.

Artemis had been seated in her living room with a book, and was afraid to move a muscle, lest she scare the boy off.

Over the time him and Gaia had been staying there, almost never to be seen, Artemis found herself waning on the irrational fear of a _male_ being in her home, and was instead more curious about him than anything. Gaia did not give compliments freely, and held the boy in high regard.

She slowly lowered her book, looking to the silver mat of hair in front of her. She wanted to be calm and assuring, if she wanted her curiosity to be sated. She could always have him leave if he proved to be like the _others_.

"For what Issei?" She spoke in a calm voice.

The use of his name seemed to surprise the young boy before her, judging by the way he almost flinched his head up to meet her blue eyes.

It was something she had somewhat gotten used to during the late night conversations with Gaia. They would talk about the training Gaia was giving him in a clearing of her forest, which for now was mainly getting the strength of his wings built up and his other natural abilities.

"I know you don't want me here, that you don't like me. Aunty Gaia says that it's okay…but I can feel it, you're mad that i'm here. I'll do my best to-"

Artemis raised a hand, her voice a little more stern than she intended. "Stop."

Issei's eyes met hers for the first time since he'd appeared in front of her the night of her party. A look of surprise, confusion, and a hint of fear in them.

Artemis blew out a breath, making sure to take the same calm tone she had just prior.

"At first…I was. But Gaia told me about you, and what happened. I can't be mad at you for things that weren't in your control."

Issei's eyes widened at what he heard. _Aunt Gaia told her?! I thought no one could know?!_

"Aunt Gaia told you about me?"

"That you're a holy dragon? Yes…she did."

his eyes took on a thoughtful look, catching on to the fact that the Goddess sitting in front of him didn't seem to know about Albion, or his relation to the elder dragon. If Gaia felt the need to keep that part a secret, then so would he. Issei apologized to his grandfather internally.

'Sorry Grandpa, I guess the training with you will have to wait until we leave here.'

Issei felt Albion stir from his slumber.

 ** _[No need to apologize, until you're a bit older, there's very little I can train you on. Just focus on your own abilities for the time being.]_**

The mental awareness Issei had of Albion faded, the elder dragon returning to his nap. Issei's eyes refocused onto Artemis, almost completely forgetting the nervousness he had felt around her just a moment before.

"I've asked Aunt Gaia when we could leave, but she says it'll be a while before its safe for me."

At that Artemis rose an eyebrow, almost feeling a little insulted that he didn't appreciate the beauty of her island. "You don't like it here?"

His hands shot up and waved in defense quickly. The truth was, that Issei really enjoyed the peaceful isolation the island offered, he didn't feel worried that someone would just appear to hurt him.

"No I do! I really like the forest and being so close to the ocean, I just don't want to bother you in your home."

"Then as long as you behave and pull your weight, I have no problem with you staying here for as long as you need."

That had been two weeks ago, and since then it seemed to her that Issei was trying his best to befriend his host, while not overstepping some sort of boundaries that he perceived to be there. He would still look nervous around her, and didn't speak to her much, but she supposed it was a step in the right direction.

It honestly frightened her how quickly she had gotten accustomed to the boy being around her, in her home no less, but she put her faith in Gaia's trust of the boy. And he'd been anything but a burden or concern so far.

As the days progressed, she spotted Issei glancing at her when he thought she wouldn't notice. But being a Goddess renowned for hunting prowess, there was little that happened around her that passed her by.

They were just curious glances when she would be doing things, Whether it be tending to her bow, sharpening a knife, preparing food to bring while hunting, to reading a book with a glass of her favorite wine.

She asked Gaia about it one night after he'd gone to bed, and the Earth Goddess had confirmed her own thoughts about the situation.

"He's curious about you. He's lived in the suburbs of a major city his whole life until now, so seeing you prepare for your hunts and coming back with meat is a new thing for him."

Gaia's eyes seemed to lose focus as she lost herself in thought for a moment before a smile overtook her face.

"Would you mind helping me with some of his training? It'll help you two get to know each other better."

Her instinctual distrust flared for a brief moment, but pushed it down and tried her best to keep it hidden. She leaned into the back of her chair, swirling the rather large glass of wine in her hand, thinking the proposition over carefully.

How could a hunter help train a dragon?

"Help how exactly?" Try as she might, she couldn't keep her voice from showing just a bit of unease.

Gaia's green eyes softened, it was impossible to miss how hard Artemis was fighting the urge to just flatly refuse.

"Come to the clearing with us tomorrow, with your hunting knife and bow, I have an idea to help Issei along with his abilities. With any luck, he might be able to use a skill that his father helped develop."

 **-LineBreak-**

Artemis walked into the clearing in the forest after following waves of heat and the presence of holy energy she felt. Walking passed the last line of trees, standing in the center of the small field were Gaia and Issei.

Gaia stood a good ten feet to his right, one arm across her midsection, holding the other where the hand was against the underside of her chin. She watched as parts of Issei's body seemed to spontaneously combust in a golden white flame.

The intense heat would produce a hot wind that blew her blue hair wildly in its unrestrained state, but it didn't seem to bother either of them. Artemis understood why it didn't bother Issei, as a dragon, fire would have a much harder time effecting him…Let alone fire that came from his own body.

She assumed that being the embodiment of the very planet she walked on gave her a natural resistance to its elements, heat included.

"Ok, that's enough for now Ise." Gaia said as her hands dropped to her side, and she approached the boy.

Issei leaned forward with his hands on his knees as he panted, trying to catch his breath. Sweat covering his body from the strain of trying to bring out his flame as long as possible. He felt the hand of his Godmother rub his back soothingly, he looked over and gave a radiant smile in thanks which she returned.

"how'd I do this time?" Issei asked once he had enough air in his lungs.

"I think today we can try what we talked about the other night."

Gaia shifted her gaze over to Artemis, who she felt approaching through the clearing, and straightened her posture to face the huntress.

Artemis walked through the clearing, feeling the heat still permeating through the air, which was getting hotter the closer she got to the two in front of her. If she were to try and put it into more comparable terms, it felt like she was walking through the desert in the heat of the day, only without the lack of moisture in the air. With the ocean so close by, moisture was something there was no lack of.

Once she was about a dozen feet from Gaia and Issei, the heat had progressed to the point it felt as if she were standing in front of large bonfire. She stopped where they could both see her, shifting the bow and quiver slung over her right shoulder.

"So…what am I supposed to do?" Artemis asked.

Gaia gave Artemis her full attention for the moment, seeing that she had brought what was suggested. The bow and quiver were not her usual magically enhanced hunting ones, these were of an ordinary make, exactly what she was hoping for. The hunting knife was in a sheath that was strapped to her left thigh.

The green tunic she wore was perfect for camouflage in the branches of the trees in the area. The Huntress' silver hair would be a detriment to the idea of not being seen, but Gaia knew that Artemis used suggestion wards that would blend her into whatever scenery she was currently in.

"For now…could you just hold your bow in a firing stance, then we'll be helping Issei to replicate it."

Artemis looked confused at the reason for what Gaia was having her do, but would follow the request nonetheless.

When her stance was ready, and arrow knocked and pulled at the ready, back straight and arms tight with the tension from the bow, Artemis locked her eyes on a tree in the distance at the other side of the clearing.

Gaia saw Artemis was in her stance, and touched Issei on the shoulder, who was watching with rapt attention on the silver haired woman. When the hand was placed on his shoulder, he looked over to his Godmother who smiled at him.

"Okay Issei, lets see if this helps you get better control."

Looking a little apprehensive, he still nodded his agreement and took a deep breath before standing just out of arms reach to the left of Artemis with Gaia on his left.

"Try and copy her stance. Imagine holding a bow of your own with an arrow pulled back."

Issei glanced to his right at the archer next to him, making mental notes of her body. How her feet were just a bit more then shoulder width apart, back straight, breathing steady and even, eyes locked on her target. Bow in her left hand, the arrow pulled back with her right, her hand close to her face as it held the tension.

As he did the best he could to hold the same position, Gaia whispered for Artemis to let go of her stance and help correct Issei's. As she relaxed, she saw that Issei was completely focused on the task at hand, not noticing that he was being scrutinized to the smallest detail.

Gaia stepped in close to him, just behind his right shoulder, comparing his stance to what Artemis had just done. It was a good first attempt, if a little sloppy, but he was still so very young.

His left arm was holding its place a little too low, his right holding the imaginary arrow too high.

Gaia motioned for Artemis to come over and help reposition him. When her hand went to guide his left arm up a bit he flinched, not expecting any physical contact from the Huntress. He relaxed and followed how her gentle touch was guiding him.

It was a unique experience for Artemis, having been isolated from any children, and especially men for so long. When she touched him, she expected the warmth of his skin, being a dragon and having an eternal fire inside his body warmed his whole body to a higher temperature then most other beings.

What she found different about the contact with Issei was the calmness she felt as she did so. It was almost as if something about him was reaching out to her, washing away any unease she might feel with being so close to him. She there those thoughts out quickly, returning to the task at hand.

After adjusting his stance, Artemis stepped back in line with Gaia to take in the whole picture and see if any other adjustments needed to be made. She nodded to Gaia when she saw that his stance was good for now.

Stepping up to his left shoulder, Gaia explained what the next step of her lesson would be. She wasn't expecting much for his first attempt at this, but any progress would be welcomed.

"Alright Ise. Just like we talked about. Picture the bow in your hand, feel the weight and size of it. Feel the arrow against the string being pulled back."

Issei's eyes were locked on the same tree Artemis had been looking at, when he heard Gaia's request he made no movements to acknowledge her. His eyes took on a glazed look as he focused inward, trying to draw up his power the way he'd been told before.

Gaia watched her Godson closely, and could feel the stirring of his power. Stepping back to watch to give any corrections, Artemis leaned over and talked quietly so as to not disturb the concentration of the dragon boy.

"What are you having him do?"

Gaia spoke in the same quiet tone, answering Artemis.

"You're familiar with how Angels and the fallen use light in the form of spears and swords yes?"

When Artemis nodded, Gaia continued.

"Issei is having a hard time breathing his fire, but it seems to burst out of almost every other pore of his body. His father was a big help with developing the technique of forming light into spears and swords. With a little direction, I hope Ise will be able to mold his fire in a similar manner. With his interest in you and your archery I thought it might speed things along a bit."

Artemis cocked her head to side a bit, a look of confused contemplation on her face. Shape fire? That sounded a bit far fetched to her. Fire was the more wild of elements, and in a good amount of cases would damage its wielder if not careful, so bending it to ones will sounded like a near impossible task in this instance.

"How is something like that possible, especially with fire and him being so young?"

Gaia already had an answer prepared, expecting almost this exact question to come up. Both of them watched as The space Issei was imagining his bow starting to shimmer, like it was filled with an invisible force. The two of them starting to feel the holy energy radiating out.

"Dragons are extremely magical beings, its a part of what makes them so powerful. Their fire is merely an extension of themselves, it can be molded as they see fit. But Ise having a holy element, has the potential to mold it into light just as the angels do, it'll just take a little practice."

Issei focused as hard as he could on the flame inside him, willing it to appear in his hands in the shape of a bow, he could feel it trying to flow out uncontrolled and quickly reigned it back in before it did. Gaia continued to explain to Artemis.

"Imagine his holy energy as a sound wave. When its in the form of fire, it's like an erratic screech, quickly spiking and falling. Once Ise is able to feel that, and steady it into a more smooth motion, he'll be able to peel away the excess layers. Which will harden into light."

He refocused on the shape rather than the flame materializing, and once it was in the shape he commanded, he'd let it out slowly to keep his control of it. Feeling the holy energy spring out of his hand and start to form the curved shape of the bow, he held it there, testing to see if it would stay there.

After about ten seconds of it not losing shape, he started to ignite a portion of it. The white flame traveled up from the start of the holy energy like a wick for fireworks, sparking into existence with a hiss. Issei almost lost his grip as it passed through his palm, the sensation was like it was tickling him, but he kept a firm hold.

Artemis watched the display In awe. Here was a 7 year old boy, showing elemental manipulation at a level that even some supernatural beings over a century old would have trouble doing. And this was his _first attempt!_

"….Amazing…" She whispered to herself. But the smile that crossed over Gaia said that she heard it also. Her words only confirmed it.

"Yes. He is."

 **-LineBreak-**

Late in the evening, Artemis changed out of her hunting tunic, and into an ice blue night gown that hung down to her knees.

That training session she'd been a part of today wore her out like few things had in over a dozen years…and she hadn't even really done anything!

Just watching Issei mold his holy flame between a bow, and a copy of her knife after he had the hang of that, and then him bouncing up and down in excitement…was exhausting.

She had been a part of many debates over talent vs practice, and today had pretty much cemented the idea in her mind that, practice may make perfect…But talent makes the time practicing much _much_ shorter.

A smile and a warmth spread over Artemis as she recalled Issei's reaction when he had been able to fire his first fire arrow. It had only traveled about 30 feet before exploding in mid air, but his happiness at even being able to do it was contagious.

After she'd seen how quick Issei was to pick up on something that had been shown to him, she understood a little bit more as to why the church had been trying so hard to acquire him. But that didn't make the murder of his parents and kidnap attempt okay in her mind.

Maybe….Maybe she could ask Gabriel about the next time they were together.

 **KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**

Artemis jumped back at the sudden knock on her door. Placing her hand over her chest, breathing deep and quick she tried to slow her now pounding heart.

Taking one last deep breath to calm herself, Artemis checked to make sure she was presentable, even if she already knew that it was Gaia at the door.

She took the few steps to the door, and opened it to see Gaia who was clearly having an internal struggle, based on the scrunched and conflicted look on her face. When Gaia made eye contact with Artemis, the earth Goddess almost had a pained look in her eyes. Artemis stepped to the side and welcomed her in.

Artemis sat on the chair of her vanity, facing Gaia who was sitting on the edge of the white silk sheets of the bed.

Neither had yet to say a word. Artemis because she wanted Gaia to bring up what was bothering her so much.

Gaia sat there, head hung down, her hands wringing themselves together in her lap, trying to come up with the words to speak. She didn't want to do this, but she had to…it had been put off far too long.

Artemis opened her mouth to speak, as the words were about leave her lips, Gaia spoke quietly.

"I have to leave….And I can't bring Ise with me."

The Huntress' eyes shot open the size of dinner plates. The initial shock quickly being replaced with questions. Why did she have to leave? Where did she need to go so urgently? Where would that leave Issei?

That last thought brought a spike of wariness through her body, feeling like she had thousands of needles placed into her skin, at the same time her stomach felt like it dropped to the floor.

"…what…?" Was all Artemis managed to say. The wood of the chairs armrests where her hands had gripped themselves to started creaking under the pressure.

Gaia looked up and met Artemis' gaze, that pained look more apparent now. Just as she knew what her words would undoubtedly do to Issei once he was told, Gaia knew that Artemis was still anxious about what her words implied…That Issei and Artemis would left alone for an unspecified length of time.

"I've been gone since Ise was born, my duties as Goddess of the Earth have been put on hold for over 7 years. Recent natural events, and the humans constant prodding into nature has destabilized things to where I can't put it off any longer."

Artemis just sat there, eyes widened, body completely still. she forced her grip to relax off of her chair. While she didn't hate the boy, being alone with him certainly something she felt comfortable with yet. And now here Gaia was, saying there was little choice…Unless she placed him in the same world that was hunting him. And neither of them felt that was an acceptable option.

"When? How long?" Artemis asked. Too many thoughts raced in her head to form full sentences. There was no use in asking where Issei would be… Her island was the safest place for him for now.

Gaia got off the bed and knelt in front of Artemis, taking her hands in her own. Artemis felt the cold sweat of Gaia's hands. Felt the unease of her decision through the slight shake in them. This was the farthest thing from what she wanted to be doing, but the health of the planet necessitated it.

"Artemis…I'm sorry for putting you in this position. I brought him here without consent from you. Forced our stay on you. I know your worried about being here with Ise alone. If there was a way that I could bring him with me…or stay with him, i'd do it in a heartbeat. Leaving him is the last thing I want…" Gaia's emerald eyes started to water as tears built in the corners. "..But…I don't have a choice.."

Gaia swallowed the lump in her throat to keep herself from crying. She didn't have a lot of time before she needed to leave, and knew that before she did…Artemis needed to know the full scale of why her Godson was so special. What made his mere existence a miracle.

"The damage can be fixed…But it'll take years, it escalated faster than I thought possible. If nothing goes wrong while i'm gone, I should be able to return in about 12 or 13 years." Gaia stopped there to let the information sink in, and prepared herself for the probable outburst.

The only reaction that came was a small flinch at how long the Earth Goddess would be absorbed in her work.

Absorbed was a literal wording. Gaia would retreat to the core of the planet, and her consciousness would be putting nature back onto its proper path. Creating and directing hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and wildfires. Spawning new plant life where the old was stripped away, giving the animals the means to feed and create homes of their own.

"I'm not ready for this.." Artemis whispered out, tightening her grip on Gaia's hands.

The Earth Goddess took a sympathetic look, the pain receding just a little. She could hardly argue with that.

"I know…And i'm sorry. But he needs to be kept safe… _I_ _need_ him to be kept safe."

Gaia cleared her throat. Artemis hadn't said yes, but if her answer were no, that would have been clear the moment she said she needed to leave. So she pressed on.

"I told you Ise is a holy dragon, and that's the reason the church wanted him. But that's not the only reason he needs to be hidden away until he can protect himself. Artemis, before I leave…I need to tell you everything about him. I need you to understand what makes Ise so special."

The serious look in Gaia's eyes caught Artemis off guard, whatever it was she about to be told, she wasn't sure she wanted to hear it.

 **-LineBreak-**

In the vast field of Issei's dream, he was in dragon form once more, and flying circles around a clearly amused Albion. The Vanishing Dragon was resting on the grass listening to his grandson happily go on and on about his successful attempts at molding his aura into a bow made of holy fire.

"And when the arrow flew, it exploded into this bright light….It was so _cool_ grandpa! I hope I can make light like Aunty Gaia says, that sounds even cooler. And Lady Artemis looked serious and awesome holding the bow!"

Albion chuckled and blew a cloud of smoke at Issei when he was passing by, causing the young dragon to cough and stumble to a rolling stop on the ground. He burst into a loud laugh at the expression on his grandsons face when he propped himself back up and attempted a glare.

 **"It sounds like your day was filled with excitement, next time you should wake me up so I can watch and help you."**

Issei nodded vigorously, his excitement returning full force. With his Grandfather, who was a _heavenly dragon_ helping, he was sure he could accomplish some amazing things.

Albion stood on all four legs, stretching his wings out to their full length, blocking out the sun of Issei's dream with their massive span. He angled his head down to look to Issei.

 **"Do you want to practice the poison again tonight? Or do you want my help with that aura manipulation you started today?"**

Albion watched as the internal debate was quickly thought over and decided. With a flap of his wings to bring himself to stand on his hind legs, Issei closed his eyes and focused on returning to his human form.

He was still slow in the transformation, only because he'd been instructed to take it slow until switching between forms felt like second nature. Once he stood in front of the Vanishing dragon in his small human frame, he smiled.

"I really want to surprise Aunt Gaia and Lady Artemis tomorrow with my bow."

And so with that decided, The dragon duo set off near the edge of some trees for some target practice.

Albion looked to the sky of his grandsons mindscape, and while a dragons face wasn't nearly as expressive as a human, the narrowing of his eyes towards the sky was noticeable.

 **'It seems the time has finally come. I'm sure it's going to be just as hard for her to say, as it will be for Issei to hear.'** Albion thought as he felt the shifting of natures will in the human world.

 **-LineBreak-**

No longer feeling the need to sleep, Artemis returned to her living room, sitting in front of her fireplace.

The bombardment of information confirmed her initial thoughts. She _really_ hadn't wanted to learn all of that. At first she didn't understand what Gaia was getting at, it was just how dragons came to be in existence, but that warning in her gut hadn't lifted for good reason.

The original 5 dragons were known to have been born from the gathering and forming of energy in the universe. What wasn't common knowledge, was what that _really_ entailed.

Just as the dragons were made of a mass of powerful energy, so too was the _earth,_ along with it was Gaia. The position in the universe was a deciding factor in the natural strength and abilities of the individual dragon, depending how much of any particular energy source happened to gather and form together.

The first two, birthed prior to Gaia, were Great Red and Ophis. Their respective powers given from the endless expansion of the universe, and emptiness of its void.

Ddraig and Albion were likewise born around the same time as each other, and like Great Red and Ophis, their powers opposite of each other.

The last of the original dragons for centuries following was Tiamat. And with her, came the knowledge of how connected these dragons were to earth.

Being born in much the same way as Gaia, the original dragons could feel, interpret and given enough practice…Manipulate nature just as the Earth Goddess could.

Tiamat's moniker of Chaos Karma Dragon stemmed from her ability to change the laws of nature around her and her enemy. The other four seemed to be complacent with being able to feel it, preferring to use their other powers.

That had been enough information as it was for Artemis, but Gaia had continued on.

It had been a long ongoing thought of Gaia's, as to whether any offspring would inherit this innate ability from the primordial dragons. But being the only one to know of the dragons connection, she only had herself to rely on. She had approached Albion, who was the only one of the 5 to have had a child at the time, and confirmed her suspicions. The Vanishing Dragons daughter _could_ feel it.

Even after Albion and Ddraig were sealed, Gaia kept in contact with his daughter, becoming close friends. And after centuries of living with her head peaking over her shoulders, she met and had settled down with another dragon, and had a son. Issei.

That final revelation had Artemis' mind spinning, and she felt like she needed a drink. But Gaia was not yet finished.

Gaia had confirmed that Issei could feel nature around him. And having descended from one of the top ten strongest beings in existence, he would grow into power that the world hadn't seen in centuries.

While Gaia would be gone for a dozen years or so, she told Artemis that Ise would be strong enough to defend himself from any non high-tier enemies by the time he was 11 , thanks to a genetic trait of his species. Dragons had a trait that made them mature into what others would consider adults by the time they were hardly teenagers. But afterwards their physical appearance would almost halt once at its prime. This was only ever found because Gaia had witnessed it with Eleanor, Issei's mother.

By the time Issei was 13, he would nearly look 18. And while his power would continue to grow, his physical appearance would nearly halt, he would appear to be in his early 20's for hundreds of years.

Gaia had taken a moment to collect herself before giving the last bit of information.

With the biblical god dead, his system wouldn't with the same efficiency, and so some bugs were bound to appear. And that bug appeared with the current White Dragon Emperor being a full-blooded dragon. A miracle of an existence if there ever was one.

Gaia only had one more thing to say before walking up to talk to Issei.

"Artemis… I would love Ise just for being the pure-hearted boy he is. But being able to feel him through our connection to the world…Words don't do it justice. I know you've had more than your fair share of bad experiences with men. But, if you let Ise in, I guarantee you won't regret it."

And with that she walked away towards the staircase, leaving a mentally worn out Artemis, towards what would be one of the hardest conversations she'd ever have.

 **-LineBreak-**

The atmosphere of the bright white and gold office in the 6th level of heaven, was dimmed by the melancholy written over the face of the ArchAngel Michael.

A report that he had been greatly awaiting, finally came, but it was not what he was hoping to read.

 _The contact of exorcist Toji Shidou, Ren Hyoudou, in regards to the Holy Sword Project, met church officials with hostile action. The prospective candidate, Issei Hyoudou, fled the scene with an unknown robed woman after the altercation._

 _Issei Hyoudou's current whereabouts are unknown. Ren and Eleanor Hyoudou were killed during the fight along with the church members who involved in the incident._

The multi-page report was summed up by the short paragraph at the bottom that the cardinal priest Vasco Strada had written out.

The report shocked and saddened the leader of heaven. Just a short while prior, the exorcist Toji Shidou had boasted the peaceful and open minded nature of the dragon family in human form. Instead of just flatly refusing to help with heavens mission, he had offered himself instead. Michael knew that it was a long shot to get the dragons help in the form of their son, but had faith in Toji's judgement of their character.

This new report however, didn't seem to match up to how they had been described at all. The way the report was written, it appeared as though the dragons attacked for merely being nearby.

What troubled Michael, was what would happen with the boy now. Without proper guidance, and considering the loss of his family, this could very well lead to to a transition into an evil dragon. And with him wielding an element of holy nature, could bring a restart to the great war if pushed too far.

 **KNOCK KNOCK**

The two knocks were followed by the door opening, Michael shifted his eyes from the report up to who had entered. His face regaining its smile at seeing his sister and fellow seraph.

"Hello Gabriel, good timing."

The tall blonde woman tilted her head towards her brother. She'd only come to talk to him about the shift in natural phenomenon in the Aegean Sea.

"Did you need to speak with me?" Gabriel asked.

Stacking the pages of the report and placing them down on his desk, Michael nodded.

"Yes. Tell me sister, are you still friends with Artemis? We may be in need of her help in the coming years."

 **-LineBreak-**

In the Yokai capital of Kyoto, upon a large decorated chair, sat a beautiful woman with golden hair and eyes. Her gaze was looking up, like she was peering through the ceiling and into the sky. She'd been looking in the same direction for a few minutes when a guard finally approached and asked her what was wrong.

Looking down towards the eagle headed man in front of her, her eyes glistened as the pain and regret flowed into her through all nearby natural sources. It was almost as if Nature itself was mourning.

"It feels like….Nature…Is crying."

 **END**

 **I'm debating whether to skip Gaia and Issei's talk and just recap it next chapter, or to show it.**

 **I wanted to try something a little different with the dragons in this one.**

 **As for the whole looking 18 at age 13, I want Issei and Artemis to spend time together without her seeing him as a child for too long, it'll be easier to develop a relationship between them that way.**


	4. How Time Flies

**This chapter has some sexual stuff. Also we're skipping most of Artemis and Issei's time together to get to the heart of the story quicker. Don't read if you can't handle it.**

Artemis watched Gaia walk up the steps towards the room where the young boy, who had been put trough too much too quickly, was residing.

"What am I supposed to do?" She asked as she turned her eyes to the sky.

She wasn't asking anyone in particular, knowing that none of her fellow deities would offer any _good_ advice. And the only ones she would potentially trust to ask, were too close to the ones hunting him.

And while she wasn't very fond of any male. The boy had wormed himself into her life enough that the thought of sending him away just didn't sit right with her.

So, as much as the idea made her uncomfortable, there was really only one choice here.

Issei is going to live with her…..alone….just the two of them.

The thought made her both wary and intrigued. Because for the first time in over a _millennia,_ the idea wasn't immediately met with anger. It scared her, sure. But that was because she was essentially becoming a parent for at least the next year or until he'd aged enough to take care of himself.

But the possibility that this one male, young boy or not, hadn't driven her into a fit of rage since the night he came to her home was….. a weight off her shoulders. Like she wasn't as broken as Gaia said she might be on that strange night.

The memory stoked a reminder of what else she would have to deal with though. her parties were annual. Every year, on the same day, the ladies of the supernatural were welcomed onto her island.

She would have to cancel at least the very next party, and come up with a way to conceal Issei for that night. She was sure he would agree to that.

It had been over an hour since Gaia walked upstairs to talk to Issei, with not even a sound coming from that general direction.

Artemis was starting to wonder if Gaia had just up and left, leaving her to tell the boy that his Godmother/Aunt had left and wouldn't be returning until he was an adult.

Just as the thought crossed her mind of how that sort of conversation could go, she heard a door open, and then click shut.

Artemis sat up straight in her seat, listening as footsteps echoed through her home. They seemed to lead further away before silencing for a few minutes. That led her to believe it was Gaia, taking whatever it was she needed before leaving.

The footsteps returned, coming towards her this time.

And just as she'd thought, Gaia came around the corner, and down the steps.

She looked like any and all emotional triggers had been set off at once.

At the bottom of the stairs, Gaia stopped and made eye contact with Artemis. The heartbreak was there, she didn't want to do this….just like she said. Never had she seen Gaia so…. _lost_ , at how to handle a situation. This boy was important to her on a level that Artemis just couldn't comprehend.

Taking a deep breath, Gaia made her way towards the door. She hesitated as her hand reached the knob.

"Before I go…You need to know this." She cast her eyes towards Artemis, who only gave a slight nod to show she was listening.

"He will never lie to you, Dragons have always taken pride in that fact. And treat him the age he appears to be, his mind will mature with his body."

The door opened, and Gaia stepped through, that was the last time anyone would see her for more than a decade.

 **-LineBreak-**

Issei sat on the bed, crying silently so as not to disturb Artemis, who he thought had been asleep for a while now. His body shivering as though he were cold, even though it would have to be well below freezing for him to even notice the difference from a summer day.

 **[ You understand why, don't you Issei?]** Albion made himself known to his host.

Issei nodded, unable to come up with the words, but knew that his grandfather/ sacred gear would know he made the gesture.

 **[ If she stayed, it would put the entire world in danger. She's the oldest of the Earth Gods, and the most powerful. If it were a small matter, someone else would have taken it.]**

"I know. It just feels like everyone is leaving me. Irina, my parents, Aunt Gaia." Issei's voice was subdued by his sleeve wiping away the tears and snot.

 **[Though it's not in a physical sense, you still have me. And I wouldn't leave you, even if it were possible. You are my blood. A Hatchling from born mine own.]**

Albions words did help enough that Issei attempted a smile, marked by the tear stains as it was. But it would start the recovery to normal, knowing that no matter what happened, he would always have his grandfather with him.

 **Knock Knock Knock**

The sound at the door snapped Issei's eyes to it. His hope was Gaia had come back, even if only for a little while longer.

The door slowly creaked open, and the silver hair was followed by the deep ocean blue eyes of his host came into view.

Her face showed that she could guess fairly well at how he was feeling. She hadn't need to guess, as it was written all over his face.

She didn't ask the stupid question of 'How are you feeling.'

She said nothing as she walked into the room and sat on the bed next to him.

Artemis had come to a decision. And that was to welcome him into her life, regardless of the fact that Gaia had basically forced it upon her.

Issei watched her, trying to think of just what she was doing. He was happy as well as surprised that she had even come into the room. He wanted someone to be there with him, isolation was never something he'd enjoyed.

She reached out took his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers.

His hand was warm, more so than a human or most other creatures, a result of having that ever burning fire inside of him. And it had much more strength then she had anticipated when he gave it a squeeze, silently thanking her for the gesture.

'I can do this.' She thought to herself.

A bright blue flash came from out of Issei's back, and after her eyes had adjusted, Artemis marveled at her first glimpse at the Divine Dividing Sacred Gear. The white metallic membranes with blue energy wings. It was strange at how perfect they seemed to fit to Issei's appearance.

Issei glanced to his back, curious as to why Albion was making an appearance at this particular moment.

 **[Thank you, Lady Artemis. While Ise may not understand your plight, I do. And your being here is greatly appreciated.]** And just like that, Albion was gone.

Artemis blinked in surprise at being called out by the Vanishing Dragon himself so soon after learning he was inside of the boy next to her. But smiled as his words sank in.

The words of one of the eldest beings in the universe helped to make up her mind, and ease her concerns.

Artemis scooted herself to be fully on the bed, not letting go of Issei's hand. Once in a position she had deemed good enough, she pulled Issei back closer to her position.

His eyes danced around the room, unsure of what to make of what was happening at the moment, but didn't want to voice it.

Artemis started to lean back, placing and arm around the front of Issei's shoulders, pulling him down with her.

They laid against the bed, still as statues for a moment. Issei's head was about 4 inches out, and eye level with her collarbone. Artemis could only see the silver mop of hair next to her, so she didn't notice the battle Issei was waging internally of whether it was ok to snuggle up to her or not.

Issei didn't move so as not to upset her, not knowing what movements could make her angry. but Albions voice convinced him that this was ok.

 ** _[If she wasn't alright with physical contact, she wouldn't have done it. She wants to be here for you.]_**

With that, Issei slowly brought one arm under his head to act as a pillow, and the other around the Huntress' midsection, snuggling himself into her collar.

The contact made her stiffen up for only a brief moment, before relaxing. Her own arms wrapped around him as they started to drift to sleep.

And both thought just before the sandman claimed their minds.

'This is nice.'

 **-LineBreak-**

Artemis had greatly underestimated the growth of a full-blooded dragon, even though Gaia had given her a time table of how quickly Issei would age and mature.

During the first month, Issei hadn't said or done much of anything, not in her presence at least. He would wake up, they would eat together, Issei would thank Artemis politely for the food. And after whatever clean up was necessary, Issei would head out to the clearing where Gaia had taken him so that he could continue to build on his skills.

There was a distinct change the second month.

Artemis had hit her annual low point for land based meat, and so she recalled a classic fish dish that she always loved. Grilled salmon with a yogurt based avocado dip on top.

It only took a little more prep time then her usual meals, but she really didn't mind since the end result was taste bud bliss.

Issei waltzed in through the front door, quietly announcing himself. His low volumed voice was the complete opposite of the beaming smile on his face.

His training had taken a huge leap in progress today. For the first time in his short life, he was able to breathe fire without any sort of prep work. Before today, it had always taken minutes of picturing the flame rising from inside him and towards his mouth. And even then it was only a small stream.

Albion had decided to use something that their species was feared for. A dragons rage. The _need_ to protect what was theirs, to protect their treasures.

It was an image of Gaia, and a dark silhouette with a blade inches from her neck. it worked marvelously.

Issei was able to not only bring forth his flame, but it was at an intensity that had been lacking before. It was hot, it was bright, and the holy energy was pulsing wildly throughout it.

The bird in the sky was unfortunate to be where it was at the time. It wasn't given the opportunity to even register the heat before the flesh was burned from its bones.

For several hours afterward, Issei tested his newfound control. The golden white flame poured not only out of his mouth, but rippled over his entire body at his command.

Albion had lectured him on the dangers of letting his emotions get the better of him will Issei quickly created a bow and shot arrow after arrow into the sky, before bursting them like a fireworks display.

"That smells….Amazing!" Issei declared as he stood at the frame from the living room to the kitchen.

Artemis smiled towards the food she was plating. She didn't want to ask what had changed the boys mental state so suddenly, she would just enjoy the positive company that it provided. She could always inquire about it later.

"Glad you think so. It's always been one of my favorites."

They sat across from each other, Artemis waiting for him to take the first bite to see the reaction of her labors. She wasn't disappointed.

Issei's face lit up even more than it had been. And the food was quickly devoured. Praise for her culinary skills in between each bite. A Goddess does like to be praised afterall.

They stood up at the same time, placing the dishes into the sink. But before they could start the cleaning, Issei surprised her.

"Lady Artemis?"

She turned to face the boy beside her. And her heart nearly jumped out of her chest in shock.

They had already been standing fairly close together, but Issei closed the distance and carefully wrapped his arms around her waist, and his head turned to the side as he embraced the huntress.

"Thank you. For everything."

Looking back, Artemis still could not believe how such a short amount of time would change her. In most aspects, it was for the better. But there would always be one choice that stood above the rest in things she wished she hadn't done.

The day she cast him aside, the day she told him everything they'd ever had was a mistake. That she could _never_ love someone like him. That he was a monster.

 **-LineBreak-**

What was once a beautiful church of over 300 years, now lay in ruins.

The landscape near it hadn't been taken care of in over 50 years. The weeds, vines, and other plants had grown to be as much a part of the building as the stonework itself.

The once beautifully crafted stained glass panes were mostly broken, letting the bitter winter air flow through and add to the atmosphere of decay and hopelessness.

The stench of mildew was only compounded by the iron scent of blood.

"How did we let things get to this point?" Came the soft, saddened voice of a man with long blond hair.

Bodies, skeletons, were scattered in most of the lower levels. Some of which looked to be only dead for a few days before they had arrived. Some of the newer deceased appeared to have been drained of the blood in their veins.

There were others in the basement, a room that had its vents closed like some sort of gas chamber. There was a hole in the wall now, where they had found a few more bodies.

"Gabriel….are they all….dead?" A man with orange-red hair asked of the only female in their midst.

Gabriel turned towards the two of her brothers that had spoke. Her eyes brimming with tears that gave her guilt away more than any words ever could.

She took a ragged breath, to calm herself enough to answer them.

"One is missing."

The four of them stood in silence. The four great seraphs of heaven, in a church filled with the bodies of dead children.

And for what?

Even if the result was 3 holy weapons per body here, the life of a child was not an equivalent exchange.

And the one responsible for this had fled, away to be hidden and protected by the fallen. How he had caught wind of being Ex-communicated was beyond them.

"Wherever that one is….I hope they live a happy life. For what we see here, I can only imagine, is a portion of the hell they endured."

"Isaiah. He's the one that is missing."

Gabriel stepped through the debris and corpses towards her brother Michael, taking his hand to borrow his strength for the sight of despair before her.

"Uriel. Please brother, give them the honor of being put to rest by your holy flame. They deserve that, and so much more. But it is the best we can do at the moment."

Uriel nodded towards his brother and leader. Carefully gathering the children bodies to bring them outside and bring them to their deceased father's light.

Michael turned towards Gabriel, trying to give her a smile to wipe away her worries.

"You are not responsible for this my sister. Let's get you home and rested. You'll need the break Artemis' party will give you. I'll handle everything to do with this from here on."

Gabriel tried her best to smile.

She was very much looking forward to the party her friend was throwing. It was the first in 5 years.

 **-LineBreak-**

Issei laid in what would be his new home for the next few days, reminiscing over the last few years of his life. A cave near the edge of the island.

As far as he could tell, he was 17 now. 11 and a quarter by calendar years, but to a dragon, that was irrelevant. They aged differently than other species, so they didn't use the otherwise universally accepted system.

And now his body was slowing down its aging process, so 17 he would be. For the next two calendar years. It had started early, so he wasn't all that surprised or worried that it was slowing down early.

He thought of his time with the woman only a few miles away from him.

Artemis.

The Goddess of the hunt. Guardian of the moon, wild animals. The protector of children.

'Goddess.' He thought with a wistful look on his face.

The term described what she was to him so perfectly.

She was elegant, she was powerful, she was wise, and she was breathtakingly beautiful.

Long silver hair, eyes that matched the deep blue of the sea surrounding them. A figure that had caused men to nearly lose their life for even thinking they were allowed to touch her.

And that right there was the source of his confusion. The reason for his introspection.

She _hated_ men.

And he _loved_ her.

Issei had ventured off the island with her a few times a year. And almost every time, some idiot would try and woo her, only interested in the physical things she could do for them. Issei found it appalling.

Did they have no desire to know even her name? What about her hobbies? Favorite food? Color?

Each and every one of those men met the painful end of either a slap or a punch, leaving them an unconscious mess on the floor.

So…. _why_ did she seem to be okay with his being around her? Why was he the only one who could touch her without his face meeting the floor?

He and Albion had thought, that she might not see him as a male, because they'd met when he was so young. And if there was anything that killed an attempt at confessing to a girl, it was wondering if she thought of you as either an androgynous being, or a pet.

There were dragons that had no specified gender, but he wasn't one of them. And he may not be Human, but he certainly wasn't a pet. The fact that he could be classified as a familiar was quickly swept under the rug in his mind.

issei perused through his time with her, starting with the time his….accelerated growth began.

During the winter nights, they had started to sleep in the same bed, taking warmth from each other in lieu of a heavier blanket. They had been a part of each others lives for just over 2 years.

Her arms were wrapped his shoulders, pulling his head into her breasts. His were around her waist.

Issei had started waking first, but made no move from his position. He was warm and comfortable right where he was.

Artemis pulled his head further into her perfectly proportioned bust, which made him aware of an uncomfortable situation for him.

One. He had to pee, the position of her leg pressing into his pelvis was not helping any.

Two. There was an abundance of blood rushing towards said pelvis, something that had never happened before, but Albion had warned him would happen soon only after Issei and Artemis spent a week straight in the same bed.

And just like that, puberty had started for the young dragon. And he was in a very comfortable and favorable position with the absolute worst person to have an erection with.

As she stirred, her legs shifting slightly, he prayed that she wouldn't notice it.

She'd opened her eyes, looking directly into his just as the final words left his mind.

But if she had noticed it, she said nothing. Instead just giving her usual good morning and another powerful hug.

After relieving himself, Their day had been just as they normally had. Breakfast, cleanup. She accompanied him and helped with his training where she could. And on a bold move on Issei's part, he'd held her hand, he was happy that she hadn't rejected the physical contact.

Issei had felt like he'd kicked a puppy when he'd said he was going to bed alone that night. Artemis looked like her favorite toy had just been taken away from her permanently.

He had taken Albions advice that perhaps explaining his new development would make the situation clearer.

He stammered through the words that Albion gave. Telling Artemis that he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable around him because of it. he felt like the flame in his gut had moved to between his ears.

To his immense surprise, she didn't get upset, angry, or blush. She only said that she noticed it that morning, and he couldn't control when his body was sexually maturing.

For a Goddess that supposedly hated anything to do with men, she was being very nonchalant about this. But referring to anything sexual was probably more common before the modern era.

She told him, in no uncertain terms, that it was okay and not to worry about it. So they continued to sleep in the same bed. And her leg continued to to press against his morning wood.

The second layer of confusion started after he realized that body was reacting to Artemis instead of just being a daily event.

During the late spring, they would go out into the woods when the sky was clear and the stars were out in force. They camped out there one night, and the ocean breeze had gotten them both fairly cold.

So the next time, Artemis suggest that he turn into his dragon form. The heat he radiated was more pronounced that way, and his body was less susceptible to the temperature difference.

He had difficulty with how to take her calling him 'her warm cuddly dragon'. It certainly sounded like she was referring to him as a pet, or a domesticated animal. And a dragons pride is a fickle thing.

6 months ago, he finally knew what term to place with the way he felt about Artemis. A nice dinner that _he_ had cooked for them, a fire stoked and hot to sit by. A silver haired Goddess asleep with her head on his lap.

He couldn't resist the temptation as he looked down at her. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead. Artemis' face scrunched up for a brief moment, but otherwise she didn't stir.

Until Issei had come to the conclusion that he was in love with Artemis, he'd never thought about whatever way she referred to him as. He was just content in the fact that she didn't push him away, and seemed to enjoy being close to him as much as he did her.

But now he was at a crossroads of sorts. If she thought of him as familiar or pet, it would potentially destroy their current relationship. And that was something he wasn't sure he was willing to risk.

'What if she doesn't feel anything romantic for me? it's so easy being together, I don't know if its worth the risk.'

 **[But what if she does? And all it will take is one of you saying the words?]**

As usual, Albion was keeping his opinion of what she might feel for Issei to himself. It didn't matter how many times Issei asked. Albion would always just say that a persons heart is their own, it was not anothers place to open up.

"I have three days to figure it out. I'm sure i'll have an answer after her party."

 **-LineBreak-**

Artemis had been in a loop of emotions for the past 72 hours. Her _entire_ house held the presence of a dragon. Not just your average dragon either. No.

It was like every room wanted to announce the fact that a 70 foot long silver holy dragon was living here. A dragon that if properly motivated, could probably wipe out one of the lesser factions with little effort.

It still baffled her. Ise, _her_ dragon. He was so unassuming. Sure he was built _very_ well. Muscles that men the world over tried for years to attain, on a tall 6'2 frame with radiant light blue eyes, and silver silky hair that she loved running her hands through.

But as long as you didn't wear down his extremely long fuse, he was just a big, scaly teddy bear. And it showed in the way he carried himself. His gentle expression, those kind eyes.

But If that fuse got to its end…. you'd have a knife, or sword, or arrow, or spear made of holy fire shoved into the orifice you least wanted it.

She had used every trick and spell she could think of to try and erase his presence from the house, most specifically her clothes and bed.

The last thing she needed was for any of her friends to think she had finally laid with a man, the teasing would be endless. But she could swear that his presence was still lingering.

'Maybe a little breather outside will help.' She walked outside to clear her senses.

' _my_ dragon. _my Ise.'_ the thought had been toying with her mind for a while now.

The night that Issei kissed her on the forehead. He thought she was asleep, but she was just enjoying the warmth from two sources, him and the fire.

She surprised herself when she didn't even flinch from the kiss. It just felt like it was natural. That was when she realized that, if she wanted, he could be hers. Even more so than he already was.

She'd seen it enough times before. Orion, Adonis, Callisto. They had all fallen in love with her. The difference was that they tried to take her by force when she didn't immediately accept, _they_ tried to rape her.

But Issei wasn't like that. Other than the one kiss, and a few times his hand slid a bit too far south during a hug, he'd made no other advances.

Artemis knew she felt…lighter…when they were together. But she had no idea as for how to classify the feeling in terms of an emotion. When they would fall asleep together she would warm and safe. When they spent time together it was rare for her to feel anything remotely negative.

'But is that love?'

She envied Ise for knowing what he felt. She'd been so jaded for so long that she wasn't sure what to call it. Only that it felt good.

Knowing that he loved her, only made her feel better, and Gaia's words of letting him into her life ran threw her mind.

'I have let him in. And no, I don't regret it, just like you said.'

The somewhat hidden innuendo in that thought brought her mind elsewhere. To Issei's….morning predicament.

Until his body had reached a point where she could deem him to be 16, it had only been a thing she thought was because of him maturing.

And as the mornings continued on, and in her waking state she continued to run her leg up against it, her own body started to betray her. A heat in her body that had only even _started_ to simmer once before with Orion, before his forceful attempt.

That was when she started noticing that whenever they had any extended bodily contact, that Issei would get an erection. As long as he didn't try and force himself on her, she didn't really mind his lusting after her from afar. It even made her feel good about her somewhat, in her opinion, lackluster body.

Artemis, wanting to find an answer about her own feelings, ran away with what the physical aspect of a relationship would be like with Issei.

 _One of his hands would catch her around the waist as she entered the room, his other hand cupping her chin bringing her face to look up at his before their lips crashed together._

 _using enough force to show that he wanted her, but gentle enough so she knew he cared about what she wanted if she wanted to refuse him._

 _She would part her lips when she felt his tongue across her bottom lip. Their tongues would clash and dance together as the hand holding her chin would slid over to the side of her face, stroking her cheek lovingly._

Artemis felt herself moan just as she would in her daydream.

 _He would carefully, and slowly guide them over to the bed, stopping a step before she tumbled down onto it._

 _Issei would pull back from her mouth, only to kiss along her neck and collar before sliding his hands down her sides, caressing the sides of her breasts that were bare just under the night shirt._

The simmering heat was building as she pictured the scene, her eyes unfocused towards the sky, to the height were Issei's would be if he were in front of her.

 _His strong hands, made that way from their training and him helping her in the forests and her home, would slid underneath the thin shirt, gliding across her pale soft skin upwards._

 _He'd caress the sides of her breasts again, before cupping and squeezing them directly and pulling the shirt over her head._

 _Her bare chest before him, Issei would kiss along her collar again, lowering himself down to kiss down one of her breasts, taking one into his mouth as he gently squeezed and fondled the other._

 _The sensation would be new for her, and Artemis would throw her head back from the unexpected feeling, her hands grabbing onto to the back of his head, not wanting it to end just yet._

 _Kissing his way across the valley of her breasts, he would switch and do the same to the other, making her feel worshipped._

 _When her pants and breaths increased, Issei would stop, kissing upwards again and claiming her mouth. To which she would respond eagerly, both hands on his cheeks as he lead them forward to lean back on the bed._

 _She would stumble back as the back of her knees hit it, putting her sitting on the edge._

 _Issei would place a hand on her chest, pushing lightly to force her on her back._

 _There would only be her panties in his way now. Issei would place his fingers inside the elastic band as he kissed his way down. In between her breasts and to her stomach, starting to pull her panties down._

 _Then Issei would kneel before her, his Goddess. Her panties just on the edge of showing what she so wished he pay attention to. Instead Issei would lift her left leg, kissing from her thigh down, a more pronounced kiss on each section of her leg that had been covered by her knee length silk socks._

 _After traveling back up her thigh after the other sock was removed, her skin kissed and lovingly praised for its beauty would his hands return to remove his last obstacle._

 _Slowly. Too slowly in her opinion, he would pull the band down until it met her knees, falling to the ground below._

 _His lips return to the base of her stomach, making her almost whimper with desire for him to go lower. He'd oblige, but only after he made it clear that his actions were for_ ** _her_** _pleasure, for the needs that_ ** _she_** _had, that had been placed on the back burner for too long._

The picture in her mind made her blush at the thought of giving a man a complete unobstructed view of naked form.

 _A light kiss, on each side of the now weeping lips of her labia. The teasing making it hard for her to nothing but lay there, and bringing her hands to his hair, trying to silently say what she wanted._

 _Then his tongue would run along the outside of her lower lips._

 _Only when she did let out a needy moan would he start to give her what she wanted as his tongue prodded her core, and the feeling of nerves never before used would ignite like a match thrown onto gasoline coasted kindling._

 _His worship given, Issei would dive in, his tongue sliding from her depths to her neglected clitoris._

 _Artemis would writhe on the bed, moaning praises to her lover through ragged breaths._

 _He would end their foreplay soon. Bringing his tongue to focus solely on the bundle of nerves at the top, and bring two fingers to enter her slowly, deeply, stroking her insides and leaving her breathless to nothing but hold onto his hair for the ride._

 _She would feel it building, the tightening in her loins that signaled her welcome into nirvana. Issei would turn his fingers to curl slightly towards her stomach, hitting a spot to blind her with pleasure as she screamed out his name._

Artemis pulled out of her daydream before she wasted too much time to get everything ready.

At least she had come to an answer about what she wanted.

And once Issei decided that he was ready to let her know how she knew he felt about her, She would give in to what her body had been whispering to her what it wanted, before she screamed out _who_ she wanted as he gave her just that.

But until then, she had guests to prepare for, friends to endure teasing from for her celibacy. And a new set of undergarments to put on.

 **Also I decided that Artemis' party will be next chapter.**


	5. A Vision to Regret

The food was prepared, the drinks on the counter and ready to be poured.

Music played in the background softly so that conversation wouldn't need to be had at anything higher than a normal speaking volume.

Her island home was immaculate of any dust or clutter.

Artemis wore a dress that was perhaps a bit out of character for her. Or at least it was compared to the last party she hosted.

A black slimming dress that barely came down passed her mid-thigh.

In her nervousness for the start of the event, she hadn't really considered that fact until it was too late and the first of the guests had arrived.

As the guests were allowed into her home, she was hoping beyond all hope that no one would pick up any traces of the young powerhouse that had been living there since the night of her last party.

Tonight was an event that she had missed greatly.

To see the other goddesses and beings from other factions, a fair number of whom she called her friends.

But at the same time, this night now presented a new source of anxiety.

If word spread that she had been housing a _Dragon_ of all things, one that could conjure holy energy more powerful than most angels….She was sure the backlash would _not_ be good.

She knew that Ise would hold true to his word and stay put in what had been dubbed sarcastically, his man cave.

She withheld the giggle that wanted to come forth at remembering that.

But honestly speaking, she would almost rather be there with him, then catching up with old friends.

They both knew that she needed this girls night. Too long had it been since she had actively conversed with anyone for more than a brief moment other than him.

Artemis came down the steps, catching a few quirked eyebrows from others at the way she was dressed tonight, and made way to one who was looking more troubled than the huntress had ever seen.

"It's good to see you again Gabriel." She announced with utmost sincerity, both in her smile and voice.

The only female seraph turned from looking out the large bay window, towards the host of tonights festivities, trying her very best to return the force of the greeting.

"It feels as though its been decades Artemis." The return felt just a tad bit more solemn than what anyone would normally see from Gabriel.

It was still pleasant, holding that slightly childish awe of the world and its wonders. But in that brief gap before Gabriel spoke, Artemis saw that there was indeed something wrong.

As much as Artemis wanted to question her on both what was clearly bothering her, and what in the world had happened to bring a holy dragon to her doorstep, the nature of her party wouldn't allow it.

It would have to wait for another time. A year probably, maybe two for the topic she was primarily concerned with. Because even though Issei had grown stronger than Gaia had initially stated, Artemis wasn't sure that he was mentally prepared to deal with how the supernatural world would take his existence.

The two shared a brief hug before Gabriel made to separate, only to find that Artemis had stiffened and held on a bit more tightly.

Before Gabriel could ask if anything was wrong with the Greek Goddess, Artemis had separated and leveled Gabriel with an incredulous look.

Artemis held onto Gabriel by the shoulders as she looked into the angels eyes.

"I didn't think it was possible… But they've gotten _bigger_ haven't they?"

The accusation/question was merely a distraction and a way to get Gabriel away from how Artemis had just reacted. Artemis may not have the overall knowledge and wisdom that some of her current guests liked to boast about, but she was quick to improvise.

That skill was definitely handy with hiding what she'd just felt.

Ise was _gone._

As in, she could feel him force his way out of the barrier surrounding their home. It caught her off guard, because she didn't know he was capable of doing that.

The barrier Gaia set up was stronger than the one she had commissioned herself, but Artemis had never played around with the idea that Issei could just smash through the thing.

She briefly wondered how she would have reacted if her old barrier were in place. Because the new one allowed her to sense the beings inside of it. If Artemis had tried to go and see him in the cave, only to see an empty setting…She wasn't sure what she'd think.

Her surprise and wandering thoughts quickly gave way to more negative things.

That gentle feeling of a cozy campfire etching away at the loneliness and resentment around her heart. That reassuring warmth, was no longer anywhere near her.

In that brief moment, she felt cold despite the fire stoked and burning in the fireplace. Alone, even in a room full of people.

In his place, was one of her guests, one of her friends.

Her anxiety over the party seemed to be well founded as Frigg seemed to linger in the cave for a few moments longer, before transporting herself to the front door.

She reigned it in quickly, knowing that he was capable of handling himself. She knew that he didn't like leaving unless it was with her, as the outside world had burned its bridges with him, so to speak.

Artemis figured that the only way Issei thought he wouldn't be found out, was to leave the island. As much as she didn't like the idea of him being out there alone, she didn't disagree. But it was already too late, Frigg must have known.

Gabriel looked down at her chest with a quizzical expression, seemingly unaware of what her friend had said.

"I am…not sure."

Her hands came up to grasp at the parts in question and held them, seemingly trying to tell if she could notice a difference from before.

Before the conversation could continue, there was a knock on the door.

Once she was turned away from Gabriel, a small scowl came over Artemis' face. She could understand the curiosity Frigg most likely had. How she knew or suspected Issei would be there though, Artemis had no idea.

But why, instead of going there herself, didn't Frigg just ask her?

It was becoming obvious that Frigg knew that her and Issei would meet. If she'd seen other visions between them, she could have just said so. Then Artemis would fess up, and hope that the Norse Goddess would keep this little secret between them.

But no. Instead she has to make Issei feel as though fleeing is the best option.

Artemis opened the door to reveal the very person she was thinking of.

Frigg stood as the light from inside the home washed over her, an _I know what you're up to_ grin on her face.

Artemis took a deep breath through her nose, willing herself to calm down and not do anything rash.

Even if no one was listening or paying attention to them at the moment, any raise in power or loud voice would undoubtedly attract attention from her other guests.

"First, I expect an explanation for what you've just done."

Her neutral expression softening, becoming more of a friendly smile.

"And last, its good to see you again my friend." She stepped forward and gave the Norse Goddess a hug to show that she meant it.

As Frigg accepted and returned the gesture, she leaned closer to whisper to Artemis.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think i'd scare him off. I only wanted to see the one who had finally caught the untouchable maiden." Frigg chuckled lightly at the way Artemis pulled back, to see her face as heated as the flames in the fire pit.

"Get in before I change my mind." Artemis grumbled. As long as the teasing only came from Frigg, she could handle it. Hopefully she could keep anyone else from finding out.

The ears of a certain nine tailed fox in the background twitching towards the front door went unnoticed.

 **-LineBreak-**

Coming out of his dragon gate, Issei stumbled forward.

It had been a hasty retreat, due to him being caught off guard from his surprise visitor.

The moment he saw the brown haired woman, he froze.

That wasn't Artemis. It wasn't Gaia.

He could only conclude that it was one of the guests for the party going on at the only home on the island.

"Hello" was all she'd gotten out before he summoned the gate and got himself out of there.

Artemis would no doubt be unhappy that he hadn't kept his word about staying there until morning.

But in that moment, he didn't know what else to do.

Issei didn't know who that woman was, what faction she came from, or who she might tell about seeing him.

So that lead to his current situation.

The first place he could think of to go, was the last place he and Artemis had gone when they'd left the island.

Athens.

As Issei walked the streets, staring up into the starry sky, he wondered what to do with himself for the next 10-12 hours.

 **[Whatever you do, just don't bring any attention to yourself.]** Albion spoke, for the first since he'd left the island over an hour ago.

 _"Yea, I know. From what Artemis has told me, a lot of the other Greek deities are a little hot headed. I don't need that kind of attention."_ The young dragon replied, taking his eyes from the sky and to the street he was walking down.

There was one thing he wanted to get done either tonight or tomorrow, as he was sure that Artemis would want to sleep in a bit after her party.

Her birthday was in a couple days.

She wasn't one for fancy gifts or anything material really. Artemis enjoyed things that had a more natural feel, rather then plastics or manmade substances.

So Issei had thought to make her something simple, but meaningful.

He had pried off a few of the loose scales on his body, and had thought to make a bracelet for her. He wanted to carve her favored weapon into it, a bow and arrow, and make a small hole on either side for a leather string.

His plan was symbolic in a way that most people wouldn't understand. Dragons were not known to _give_ anything. They took. They were hoarders, collectors.

Issei welcomed the fact that he was different. If he had grown up around other dragons, there was little doubt that he would have turned out the same way most of his race did.

But instead he had been living with a woman who never sought more than she needed. She had taught him to find hobbies to better develop a skill, instead of drowning yourself in material goods.

Coming to an intersection, where it appeared to be a shopping part of the city, Issei figured his gift would be a good way to eat up some time.

 **[Are you going to tell you how you feel about her when you hand over the gift?]**

Issei thought about that for a moment, turning towards the lights of the shops that were still open.

On one hand, if it worked out in his favor, it could be a birthday to remember.

But if she didn't return his feelings, then it could be awkward. Worst case scenario, it could set her off. There was no way he wanted a repeat of the anger he saw in her the night they met. Or the time that one guy in Berlin thought she was a prostitute.

 _"Her experiences with men make me think that's a bad idea. Why potentially ruin a good day?"_

Cleary Albion didn't agree, judging the scoff and feeling of him rolling his eyes.

 **[So you would rather just keep at this situation? Glances, light touches, soft words when you think she's not listening?]**

Issei saw a sign on one of the craft stores on the opposite side of the street.

LEATHER HIDE, STRIPS AND SCRAPS HERE!

He'd caught a lucky break, because otherwise he was just going to use plain string. He'd much prefer leather. And he was certain that she would too.

 _"Honestly? Yea. What happens if she thinks i'm just trying to use her like the others tried to?"_

Albion sighed, seeing the route that his host was taking this.

 **[Setting aside the** ** _years_** **of evidence that you would never do that…She would either try to use those dragon slayer arrows on you, or make you leave Delos.]**

Issei walked into the store a few minutes before it was supposed to close, returning the greeting to the person working the register.

He followed the sign to where the goods were placed that he was looking for.

 _"Look, i'm not disagreeing with you on the fact that she SHOULD_ _know that i'd never do anything to hurt her. But you know from past experience, and I have read in multiple books from her library, that trauma and fear doesn't exactly follow logic."_

He came to the isle where his desired items were.

On the shelves were entire hides to be sold, next to long thin strips, and then the small scraps that could be used to fill in smaller spots.

Thinking of how much he'd need, Issei ruled out the scraps immediately. He wanted good quality, not something that wasn't even good enough to be used on another project of lesser importance.

But then came the decision of a smaller hide, or just multiple strips.

If he messed up, the hide would provide more material that he could cut off himself.

But there were a bundle of strips that could accomplish the same purpose.

For the sake of time and effort, he chose a bundle of 2 dozen strips.

After paying and walking back outside, Issei winced as another thought came to him.

 _"Plus, what do you think Auntie Gaia would do to her if Artemis severely hurt or killed me?"_

Albion answered immediately, not needing to think about it.

 **[Kill her. Painfully.]**

Issei nodded to his grandfather.

 _"And I don't want that. I want to BE with her, not play Russian Roulette with both of our lives."_

Albion didn't answer, leaving Issei to walk in silence.

While the dragon greatly wished that Issei would suck it up and confess, as he was tired of the back and forth glances that were almost painfully obvious, he could see the reasoning to wait until there was more certainty.

He could just abandon morality and tell Issei that he was all but certain that Artemis loved him too, but that was in bad taste. No one wanted to find out information like that from a third party.

Issei stopped at a clearing just a bit outside of the grounds of the Parthenon, an old temple dedicated to Athena. Just as the whole city pretty much had been at one time. With all of these examples of worship, it was no wonder that Athena was among the strongest in the Greek pantheon.

 **-LineBreak-**

As the hours passed, Artemis was feeling more comfortable and at ease.

Frigg had sworn not to tell a soul about her little hideaway guest, or boy-toy as the other goddess had so eloquently put it.

Just about all of the food had been eaten, and nearly half the wine consumed.

As some were starting to depart, Artemis recognized that the part of this gathering that was both her most and least favorite was approaching.

When her and some of her closest friends would all gather and gossip around the center fireplace.

"Artemis, where is the restroom?" The voice from behind her, was one that Artemis was surprised to see. The Nine tailed fox from Kyoto. Yasaka had only come to three of these events before.

She was a pleasant woman, but held a teasing streak that most would pale in comparison.

"Upstairs, third door on the left, right next to-" She had to pause for a moment, as she caught herself almost saying _Issei's room._ "The guest room." She corrected.

The blonde fox nodded and scurried away to her destination.

"To be expected of one with a small child." Artemis was surprised to hear the voice of her half-sister next to her.

Artemis turned to see the brown hair and grey eyes of Athena standing just behind her.

It was surprising to see her here at all, as Athena was often preoccupied with whatever whim their mutual father had at the moment. The sky god made it no secret that Athena was his favorite. She shared his desire for a good fight, and what she lacked in strength, Athena made up for in tactics and precision.

Zeus no doubt kept her close to him due to her healing abilities. Hera could be quite violent after each of his escapades to lay with whatever woman caught his eye.

"I wasn't aware Yasaka was a parent." Artemis stated in surprise.

Athena scoffed at her sister.

"Of course you wouldn't, you've been isolated here with no word to or from the outside world in five years."

Athena turned more informative after her insult, while Artemis tried not to let the words get to her. She had good reason for that after all.

"Yasaka has a 3 year old daughter. Poor woman was unlucky enough to go into heat near a male Kitsune during his. There was little hope they wouldn't follow through with their instincts. Unfortuntaely, the man was a wanted criminal, Yasaka was forced to have him executed a few days after finding out she was pregnant."

Artemis was then thankful for not being a species that had to go through that. Her newer thoughts of Issei would be hard enough to suppress, add in a youkai mating season…She'd be lucky if her and Issei weren't expecting to be parents at this point.

Athena watched her sister carefully, as Artemis would normally have gone on a small tangent about not needing the touch of a man. Her interest and suspicion was furthered when the Huntress kept quiet.

"This is most likely the first time she's had more than a single ounce of alcohol, since getting pregnant. On top of leading her own people, the three factions have all been trying to gain the Youkai as an ally. Although…It's too little too late i'm afraid."

Only now was Artemis starting to realize that she had probably missed a great deal in the time that Issei had come to her. Even though this conversation was walking on the line of her party rules against factions talks, she felt compelled to follow through.

"Have they been fighting in her land? Or be the cause of innocent casualties?"

Athena gave her sister no way to read her expression or what was going on in her mind. She merely gave Artemis a strange look for a few seconds before answering.

"You truly have been cut off…"

Her grey eyes glanced back up the stairs towards the direction where the only Youkai present had gone.

"A few months ago, the devils started a mass hunt for a single nekoshou turned into one of them. It had the unfortunate effect of causing many other devils to hunt down other Youkai or senjutsu users living in the underworld. They say this nekoshou killed her master in a fit of insanity from drawing in negative natural energy. Other than the fact that the devil master was dead, they have no other proof of what happened. Just speculation."

Athena watched as Artemis sifted through that information. Over the many many years of their lives, she had been able to predict the Huntress' reactions.

From this information, Athena had thought that her sister would question the gender of this slain devil. Even from the last time they saw each other, Artemis only had venom for words to associate with any man, young or old.

This silent contemplation was new.

And if there was anything to peak the interest of someone that had been alive as long as they had, it something new.

Athena had a suspicion as to what had brought about this change, but even in her mind it seemed almost impossible.

There was no way, that in a mere five years, a man had managed to worm his way through the jagged ice that was the heart of Artemis.

"Condemning someone without the proper evidence…I thought their newer leaders were above such things." Artemis said with a neutral tone.

"The four devil kings aren't much more than figureheads regarding things happening in their own faction unless it amounts to treason. The pillar council manages everything else. Considering that one of the pillar members had just been killed, I doubt they cared very much about the details."

Athena was about to walk away before she remembered something that had come up a few days ago.

"Father would like to speak to you tomorrow during the meeting. It was important enough for him to stop his philandering to bring up."

Artemis sighed, an act that was very much not like her, before she nodded.

"I suppose i've closed myself off for long enough."

Athena walked away to leave Artemis to attend to her guests.

"As if sleeping tonight wouldn't be hard enough…Now I have to deal with whatever the womanizer wants." Artemis grumbled to herself.

 **-LineBreak-**

Issei sat, etching away carefully on the discarded scale. At this time of night, he wasn't concerned with people walking by.

He was on his third attempt at his gift.

The first had come out horribly out of proportion, the lines of the bow too wobbly, the head of the arrow crooked.

The second hadn't actually been that bad, but he wanted to try again. If the third one came out worse then the others, he'd go with the second try.

Using his holy flame as a torch of sorts, Issei was able to slowly cut the design into the smoothed and flattened scale.

Even with it being rubbed down to a more wrist appropriate size, the shimmering silver scale still held its shine once wiped clean.

Just getting the perfect oval shape had made his ego throb with pride over his small accomplishment.

He couldn't tell if it was because he was molding a piece of himself, or just being able to use a newer skillset he'd worked on.

The torches placed by the city personnel in the area kept the Parthenon well lit. It was actually what reminded him of Artemis' birthday coming up, when they had been in the city several days prior.

The August full moon festival, as he'd learned, was initially to give praise to his goddess, but had transformed over the years to be more about what the humans had to offer.

Being separated from the human world for so long, he couldn't imagine living here anymore. There was so much that he didn't know.

New technologies, current events, media, pop culture. Many things would no doubt shift based on where you were, but some transcended boundaries, and carried their weight worldwide.

Seeing people walking around with phones as large as their hand was certainly something he found confusing. His parents had never had one, to his knowledge. But he had seen the devices in hands of people when he still lived in Japan.

But back then, the craze seemed to be how small of a phone you could have, instead of these monstrous sized screens.

If they got any bigger, people would need two hands just to use one.

Shifting himself on the stone he sat on, Issei cut off his wondering thoughts and got back to the task at hand.

This time around he had been going _very_ slowly, in hopes that he could better control how it turned out.

Having gotten an idea of how he wanted to size both images, Issei drew the arrow first, and wanted to draw the bow second.

Slowly, carefully, he made the arch of the bow. He stopped at the exact moment he came in contact with the line for the arrow, not wanting to have overlapping lines. That would just ruin the whole thing.

With intense focus he finished what would be the wood of the bow, and just as slowly finished off the string with a perfectly straight line.

 **[A gift that many the world over would cherish, if they knew just how rare it is.]** Albion said once Issei wiped off the residue to look at the finished product.

 _"Do you think she is one of them? Or will it look like a childish present?"_ If he were a believer in any religion, Issei would be praying for the success of his venture. But the seeds of doubt were still firmly planted.

 **[For one as old as the huntress, I have little doubt she will see the significance. I don't imagine there are many men left in this world that would handcraft a gift suited to their chosen ones tastes.]**

Issei listened and pondered on that as he pulled three strands of leather through the hole he'd made, tied a knot at the end to keep it secure, and braiding the strands together for just a more pleasing visual.

 _"That's a thought that hasn't crossed my mind. With how she looks, I forget that she's so much older than I am. Do you think our age difference would be an issue?"_

From his perspective, it was a valid concern. If you took their calendar years, Issei wasn't even a teenager, no matter how he looked or felt. In comparison, Artemis was hundreds of times older than him.

He remembered seeing how some bystanders sneered at an older man walking hand in hand with a woman that appeared less than half his age.

 **[Immortals hold different standards. In all honesty, I would consider this one to be the lowest ranking concern. Before i'd been sealed, most societies deemed hitting puberty to be the marker at which they were ready for adult relationships. It had been that way for hundreds of years.]**

That thought was both uplifting and revolting. It just might be that Artemis was of this mindset, and wouldn't mind. Or she might be forgetting about his true age, rather than how he appeared.

On the other hand, when he thought of a young girl, barely a teenager potentially being pressured into marriage and having kids…his heart clenched.

History books told him that it was the way things were during the time…but his more modern mind couldn't help but feel that way.

He couldn't imagine-

 **[Someone's approaching.]** Albion cut off his thoughts quickly and effectively.

Lost in his own mind, he hadn't been paying attention to what his senses were telling him.

His nose was picking up on something…fierce. It probably wasn't the best way to describe it, but that was the first thing that came to mind.

But it also held the scent of rosemary, which he found quite pleasing.

He placed the bracelet and excess parts in the pockets of his pants so no one would see them.

"Troublesome man….Couldn't even last a minute before all thought switched heads…" The voice of a clearly angered woman came into his sensitive ears.

 ** _[Exorcist.]_**

Issei was immediately on guard from the one word from Albion.

He doubted the woman knew who he was, or that he was here in the first place. Because if she did, she wouldn't be alone, he assumed she also would have hidden herself until she attacked him.

Around the corner came what appeared to be a young woman in her early to mid 20's, dressed in clerical clothes, hood and all.

With his eyesight, Issei could see that she was no doubt good looking, even just by the structure of her face and blue eyes.

He wasn't sure if it was her tone, or the smell of obvious power and skill on her, but she set him on guard.

As she walked closer to the stone path, she started mumbling to herself, low enough that even he couldn't hear it.

She stopped in surprise when she came closer to the stone pathway that he had been sitting by, eyeing him curiously.

"Good evening young man." Her voice had a bit of what seemed to be an Italian accent.

Unsure of what to do, Issei didn't answer. Here in front of him, was a member of the faction that had caused him so much pain.

Taking his revenge out on her was only a thought for a mere second, before he thought better of it. While he was more than strong enough to take down a single opponent, it would reveal him to the world in a hostile way.

And _that_ was not something he wanted.

There had already been enough bloodshed.

"You _can_ hear me, can't you?" The woman spoke again. Despite the wording, she sounded more inquisitive than angered by his refusal to speak to her.

Issei nodded.

She smiled serenely.

"Good… For a moment, you had me worried that a deaf child was out here in sthe dark all alone."

She tilted her head a bit and posed a question.

"But what _are_ you doing out here so late at night?"

Silence was her only answer, as Issei conversed with Albion.

 _"She's feels human…do you think she can tell what I am?"_

 ** _[I'm unsure. Without one of the sentient sacred gears, humans typically are not equipped with the tools to expose a being actively hiding their presence. But this one….She seems to be different. Don't provoke her, and you should be fine.]_**

The elder dragons words helped to calm Issei down a little bit.

As long as he gave her no information to give away who he was, or provoked her, he should be fine. It was unreasonable to think that every member of the church knew of his existence, but it was better to assume this woman did know, and tread lightly.

The womans eyebrow started to twitch in irritation at the silence the young man before her continued to display.

She was about to speak up again, before she actually got a response.

"Just waiting for someone."

The woman quirked an eyebrow.

At this time of night, that statement could mean a lot of things. The young man could be doing just that, and had nothing planned that might get him into trouble with the authorities.

But then again, this _someone_ he was waiting for could be a drug dealer, a girl sneaking out of her parents house, fellow gang member perhaps. He didn't really look the type to be causing trouble, but she saw that he was obviously on guard around her.

She found herself going against her better judgement and questioned further. And while doing so, she wondered why his features seemed to trigger something in her mind. Something she couldn't quite remember, but should.

"Do you have any idea how long they'll be? Being out here all alone can be quite dangerous at this time of night."

She tried to log his exact appearance into her mind for later recall.

A dark green long sleeve shirt that had three buttons near the collar, the top of which was unbuttoned to keep it from being too snug around the neck. Jeans that looked as though they had been entirely of a dark shade, but had clearly seen some use, as they were fairly worn and faded near the belt line and knees.

 _'Silver shaggy hair, light blue eyes, sharp jaw line. His face is too symmetrical, and his muscle mass too dense to be a normal human.'_

Her gaze gave none of her thoughts away. She was an experienced exorcist, among the strongest and most reliable still active today.

To a normal human, he would look like an ideal young adult model. He was tall, he was fit, his voice was smooth with a smoky undertone.

Had she not gone through the things she had, and been just another civilian, this young man would have no doubt caught her attention and been subject to fantasies of a less than appropriate manner for their age difference.

And for these reasons, she was _very_ suspicious of who and _what_ this young man was.

Her gut was telling her that the image before her was just a facade for something much greater.

"It'll probably be a while." Issei said.

It was just about 1130 PM, and from Artemis had told him, the last of the guests would typically leave around 1 AM.

In the interest of keeping himself out of trouble and hidden from the ladies on the island, it was probably best if he stayed away until around 3.

The womans scrutinizing gaze bore into him with renewed interest. Issei could see those eyes glancing from one side of his face to the other, with almost imperceptible looks to the rest of him.

She was starting to make him nervous.

"Would you mind if I waited with you then? Perhaps the company will make the time pass quicker."

The way she spoke was a little different this time, he couldn't place exactly _how_ it was different, other than the syllables seemed shorter.

 **[Issei don't-!]** Albions words screamed in his head a little too late, as Issei was already speaking.

"I'd prefer you didn't. I don't mean to offend you, but we don't know each other. I'm not a fan of strangers."

The way her eyes hardened only made him more nervous. Gone was the small smile on her face too.

Her stance tightened. Her hands, which appeared to be lightly clasped in front of her waist, were clearly ready to make a quick movement. The fingers on her right hand were absolutely still and ready to grasp something. While the fingers of her left twitched just a tiny bit.

He had messed up somehow….But for the life of him, Issei couldn't figure out _how._

 ** _[She spoke Greek when she approached you. Just now, she spoke in Kashiwana, a VERY old and abstract language thats almost extinct.]_**

His eyes widened at what he'd been told. Issei had just been busted as being somehow related to the supernatural, and in a way that he'd never expected.

"No more games. Tell me who and what you are, as well as what you're doing so close to the church of holy apostles." Her voice was sharp.

Having never been in a situation like this, Issei wasn't sure of what to do. All he wanted, was to wait out the time until the party Artemis was throwing ended.

Then he could go home, give her the bracelet, and go about business as usual.

 ** _[Violence is not advised. Not on Greek ground with a well known church nearby. I apologize for not remembering heavens presence in this country.]_**

Issei mentally nodded to Albion, before holding his hands up in defense to show he wouldn't pull anything.

"Whoa now… Just take a breath."

The woman only seemed to get more hostile, her right hand going behind her and clearly holding onto something.

"It's…. _almost,_ exactly as I said."

Her left hand joining her right in holding onto whatever was concealed on her back.

"I'm waiting to go home. Nothing more."

The woman didn't let up at all.

"Then go. Prove your intentions, and leave this place. Only members of Olympus, and the church are allowed in this country. Do that, and I will overlook you being here."

Issei sighed, his hands coming down to rest on the rock he was still sitting on.

"I really wish that was an option. There's nowhere else i'd rather be at the moment then back home."

The woman knew the look that came over him. She'd seen it in members of the church time and time again.

Love.

A love that made you disregard everything else. It didn't matter what principles or rules said that it was wrong, they would do anything to have it reciprocated.

Her hands didn't return to her front, but her shoulders obviously relaxed a little bit.

"Griselda."

Her voice snapped Issei out of his thoughts, and gave her a confused stare.

"Ummm…. gesundheit?"

In any other situation, she might have smiled. His look of confusion showed his naivety. Being that she was still just a tad bit uncertain of him, she kept her face neutral.

But naivety could lead to rash decisions, and she would not be caught off guard.

"No. My name, it's Griselda."

The confused look was added by a bit of apprehension.

"This isn't one of those, introduce yourself before trying to kill me things, is it?"

"That remains to be seen. You haven't told me your name, nor your race, and only a vague idea of why you're here….which may or may not be true." Griselda spoke evenly.

At the accusation that he might be lying, Issei felt the fire in his gut flare.

"Hey! I. Don't. Lie!"

He wasn't sure why, but that one accusation just put him close to the edge of freaking out on this woman.

How dare she! He was an honest person to a fault. Sure, he didn't reveal the whole truth, and worded it to suit his needs.

But _never_ had he lied.

 ** _[Issei….You need to stop talking.]_** Albion warned, having caught on to what the woman was doing.

His host was young, and inexperienced in the finer details of dealing with other factions. Issei had no idea that this exorcist was picking him apart with carefully chosen words to determine who and what he was.

And the elder dragon could only give short bits of advice, so it wouldn't seem that Issei was listening to someone unseen.

That would not make this situation any better.

"Then tell me your name, and why you won't leave. Give me _some_ reason to believe you're not a threat."

She was grasping for _any_ reason not to take action against him. Griselda knew he wasn't a devil. There hadn't been a devil yet that could hide from her senses or blade. He could be a fallen, but they lied as easily as breathing, and that heated response seemed genuine.

 _'Djinn manipulate words to fit their needs, but refuse to lie. They also typically don't get so heated so quickly. He'd be more haughty if he were a demi-god. Dragon perhaps? Isolationist, Honesty, quick to anger….seems the most likely.'_

Thinking on how to get this woman to believe him, Issei came up with something that wasn't a lie, but hid enough of the truth to keep him from doing something that would cause problems.

"The woman I live with, Diana… She's having friends over, and doesn't want any of them to know that i'm staying there. One of them wandered into where I was hiding on the property for the night. I freaked out and came here to wait until they left."

It wasn't a lie. The Romans called Artemis by the name Diana. So even though it was misleading, it was still the truth. It also happened to be the name she used whenever interacting with humans who weren't aware of the supernatural.

Griselda studied him for several moments, trying to pick out the absolute truths from the twisted ones in his words.

 _'Is this woman he speaks of related to the supernatural as well? If I assume that he's telling the truth, that gives me more to go off of. If she was willing to allow him to stay at her home, why hide it from those she would call her friends? Shame? Fear? Perhaps she knows something about him that would require him to remain hidden.'_

Throughout her pondering, Griselda couldn't help but continue to feel that she should be remembering something about the features of the young man before her.

Putting together what Griselda thought she had figured out, she tried to place it with the clearly important information that seemed lost in the webs of her memory.

 _'Silver hair, blue eyes. Honest. Reclusive. Possibly and most probably a dragon of some sort. If I could just figure out why he'd be hiding… Lord above…It couldn't be…'_

It came together in her mind, the same way riddles often would when she was a young girl. And the shock of it nearly had her mask falling away.

By taking everything she knew, and a few bits that seemed hinted at, Griselda figured out who the _boy_ was.

And that description, _boy_ , only solidified her suspicion.

"Issei Hyoudou."

Last seen fleeing with a robed woman from his home in Japan 5 years ago.

If she had come across him even a day prior, Griselda would have felt compelled to try and put the _full-blooded dragon_ six feet under. For he and his parents had, according to the report sent up the chain, needlessly attacked and killed non-hostile members of the church that were only looking for their help. It would not have been for revenge, but instead to halt anymore deaths of a fellow believer by the hands of a dragon.

But now…..

Now she didn't know how to proceed.

Just a mere 20 hours ago, Herself, Touji Shidou and a few others had found the site of quite possibly _the_ most horrific tragedy to happen to the human side of heavens forces.

Even with only one member captured and questioned, it still put an _enormous_ hole in the report given 5 years ago.

The seemingly endless possibilities of what magic could accomplish still made her anxious. Especially the sort that allowed unabated access to someones mind and memories.

That one captive, had been a part of the project from the beginning. He had been there when Touji came to relay that the parents of the boy declined to help them.

He had been there when Valper Galilei sent a group of dragon slayers to capture the boy by force.

He had been there when the Bishop decided to kill off the children because they didn't show any progress in wielding Excalibur.

Again and again that cycle went.

Only during the fifth time of killing and extracting the element Valper was looking for, did anyone make an attempt to stop him.

Over a hundred children gone from the world because of that sick and twisted mad man.

She saw Issei stiffen, and immediately jump back from where he was sitting, now obviously defensive of anything she might do.

His action was ludicrous. He was a dragon, a race suspected to be born from the power of the universe itself, and was backing away from a mere human.

But placed in perspective of their entire conversation, his backing away eased her worries a bit.

He didn't want to fight, he didn't want to kill. Whoever this Diana woman was, she'd been helping him hide away from the world.

The grip Griselda had on her weapons relaxed, and she brought her hands up in a show of non-aggression.

"If that is your name, and your reaction seems to point at me being correct, then I at least partially understand." She said calmly and gently.

There was a conversation to be had, between him and a few members of heaven. Lady Gabriel had been beside herself in agonizing sorrow at what her and her brothers had allowed to happen.

The only female amongst the top players in heaven had stated that she wished she could apologize, and make amends. To Issei, and any of those effected by their ignorance.

But that would be the last full and coherent sentence Griselda Quarta would speak for nearly a week.

When she would wake up, it would be in 5th heaven, under the concerned gaze of her would be sister and Lord Michael himself.

The last thing she could recall with complete clarity, before the memories would get hazy for the next few days….Would be one word, spoken in a gravely baritone, holding a frightening amount of power.

 **[BOOST!]**

 **-LineBreak-**

Artemis wasn't sure whether she should laugh or cry, smile or frown.

She had thought, that she hadn't changed much over the time since her last party, and wouldn't raise any suspicion from those sitting around her.

Apparently, she was wrong.

Each of her closest friends that attended tonights party had noticed the change.

They described how they noticed it differently.

Some said it was the dress she had picked out for tonight. One mentioned how her eyes didn't shift around, as if looking for an enemy, almost at all. A few said it was the way she spoke, it was warmer, more welcoming.

Parvati had been the one to get them all staring at her with wide eyes and gaping mouths.

"I can't help but wonder just what this fellow of yours did, to worm his way into that heart of stone."

The silence had been damning.

Frigg snickered behind a gloved hand.

Nana had sparkles in her eyes, whispering about how she could just _feel_ the deep rooted joy inside of the Huntress.

Kishimo eyed her with a smirk…Artemis wasn't sure she wanted to know what was going on in that brain of hers.

It was the last person sitting with them, that worried her the most though.

For some reason Artemis would probably never understand, her sister Athena had stayed. Artemis noted, that other than a brief raise of an eyebrow, Athena didn't look surprised…merely curious.

And what was the first thing the Hindu woman says? That the most renowned man hater in all the realms was in love….Even if said man hater hadn't fully acknowledged it herself.

"Parvati, what in the world are you talking about?" Artemis tried to deflect.

But the tanned woman merely chuckled, waving a hand as if she saw right through her.

"Oh please honey. Even if I couldn't feel the pull from your heart towards another, your house gave it away almost immediately."

Artemis crossed her arms, and leaned back into her chair, the only sound for a moment was the crackle of the fire in the center of the small gathering.

"I would very much like you to explain how you came to this conclusion."

She wanted to hear what gave her away. Artemis knew that if Parvati had suspected something, she could draw on her power, and would then feel the undeniable proof.

The response the love goddess gave her…Made Artemis realize that she had no chance of getting through tonight without a few people finding out.

"Well first of all, the presence in your house….Or rather, the lack thereof."

The others all seemed to look around, as if seeing her wooden home in a new light.

"In trying to erase Lover boys energy, you got rid of your own too. Makes me wonder what kind of things you've been up to these last few years." Parvati smirked when she saw Artemis try to control the blush that wanted to spread across her face so badly.

They hadn't done anything…But Parvati just brought that fantasy she'd had earlier back into her mind.

"Then, there's how clean it all is." Artemis started to look a bit offended, assuming that the Hindu was saying her home was usually dirty.

"Now now, don't get me wrong. Your house has always been clean during our little get togethers. But _this-"_ She gestured around with her arms. "Is obsessive. Again, it made it look like you were hiding something."

Artemis cooled back down, acknowledging her point, and then asked.

"Anything else?"

At that, Parvati just raised her wine glass and gestured back towards the kitchen.

"Your spread this year was vastly different. Last time you had nothing that could be considered unhealthy, even in large quantities. Tonight, you have actual spiral sandwiches! Not to mention the wine is 50 years older than the stuff you usually use. It made me think that you've had someone around that calorie intake didn't particularly matter….Like a young man perhaps…"

Kishimo tapped her chin as she gave her input.

"Shame, here I thought your tits were getting bigger for another reason."

Artemis looked down right appalled at the subtle accusation.

 _'I am NOT getting fat!'_

Although she couldn't help but glance down at her chest for a brief moment, wondering if they were getting bigger. That was unlikely, she hadn't changed physically in a _long_ time.

Being around immortal women did nothing to boost her confidence when most of them were sporting a bust that jiggled like jello in an earthquake with every step they took.

Just as Artemis was about to tear into Parvati for insinuating that she was getting fat, her sister Athena placed a hand on her shoulder and gave some soothing words.

"You've always been too thin Artemis. Whatever brought about this change n your diet, it's made you look much healthier."

Artemis deflated in defeat. She had lost the battle of keeping her little hideaway a secret.

Her head came to be placed in her hands, her silver hair cascading down to form a curtain.

"Alright, I concede."

Parvati and Frigg gave victorious looks, while the rest chuckled.

"But some of the things you clearly think i've been up to, are false."

The group gave her questioning stares before Artemis answered.

"We're not in a relationship. There is nothing sexual between us."

And just like that, the group minus Athena, drooped in disappointment.

"And why the hell not?!" Parvati nearly screamed.

She couldn't understand. After noticing the things she'd mentioned, Parvati had personally peered into her friends heart to see if she'd been right with her assumptions.

And the womans heart was _singing_ praise unto another. And that was no small feat. In her experience, the point where someone would admit that they love another, their heart would be whispering. A happily married couple would sound like your average volume for conversation.

For it to be _singing_ , Artemis had to be so hopelessly attached to this man, that she would have a hard time living without him.

But it seemed that the heart and the brain weren't communicating with each other properly on this matter.

"If you care for him, why _not_ pursue a relationship? I can feel the happiness he's brought you." Nana spoke, from her spot beside Frigg.

Artemis gave the pink haired woman a half smile.

"I wish it were that simple Nana. Truly."

Artemis set her eyes gazing to the side, in the direction where Issei had vacated the cave.

"How long has it been since Orion? 2,800 years? That was the last time I felt anything remotely positive for a man. It scares me, the things i'm feeling now. It feels like it happened overnight. It's just so easy."

In the time she spoke, Artemis lost sight of where she was, and who she was talking to. It was more of an admission to herself then anything else.

"It's so easy to just melt into his touch. He's holds me like i'm made of glass, even though he knows otherwise. He looks at me like i'm the center of his universe."

"I'm not hearing bad parts yet Arty. It sounds like the guy worships the ground you walk on. Whats the problem?" Kishimo asked.

"I'm the problem."

She took a deep, shuddering breath before looking to the shinto goddess.

"I've been reluctant to place a name on the way I feel for him. Because _if_ I do, then i'll only be looking for reasons to cast him aside. Reasons to put him in the same category as the others."

She shook her head sadly.

"I know its irrational. I _know_ he's not like that. But almost 3 millennia compared to 5 years? And if I did anything like I have in the past….It would destroy him. Because, for at least the next 8 years, i'm all he has. I'm scared that i'll lash out at him for some stupid reason."

Maybe it was just that she had been thinking of the woman lately, or maybe it was how Artemis had emphasized the '8 years' part. Nonetheless, Athena quirked her eyebrow again.

"Gaia?"

Artemis flinched. Being lost in her own head had lead to her saying the wrong thing around the wrong person. She nodded just enough for it to be noticeable.

"I've said enough as it is. I can't go into the specifics."

Artemis could feel the disappointed eyes on her from everyone, Frigg included. But it was Nana, that tried to pry just a bit further.

"I can't speak for Athena since we don't know each other that well. But I know that none of the rest of us would ever do or say anything that would hurt you Artemis. We're all good friends, right? What's the harm in letting us meet the guy thats changing our friends life?"

There were a few ways that Artemis could answer that question. But she chose to go with the least revealing one.

"Even if I agreed, he probably wouldn't. Before coming here, he'd only had one other friend. And so, isn't good with people he doesn't know. Having a handful of women just march right up to him would most likely have poor results. Plus-"

Artemis swung her head and glared towards Frigg, who at least had the decency to look apologetic.

"Someone scared him off, by just popping up out of nowhere, in the spot he was staying tonight."

"You mean he was still on the island?!" Parvati and Kishimo exclaimed.

Artemis was about to smugly state that he was about as good with stealth as she was, but something caught her eye.

Once again, the eyes of Frigg had that glow about them, that said she was seeing something no one else could.

That in itself wasn't the problem, it was the expression on her face.

A frown, looking torn between guilt and sadness, was etched over her face.

It made Artemis incredibly nervous.

Wherever Issei was at the moment, she hoped that he was safe and out of trouble.

 **-LineBreak-**

Issei was starting to feel as though this night would rival the one he lost his parents.

How the little devil doppelgänger had snuck up on him, Albion and the exorcist, was a mystery.

His only guess, was that Albion and himself were both too focused on Griselda to pay attention to anything else. Especially after she had said his full name.

A boy that looked to be around his calendar age, 11-12, appeared with near identical features.

Silver hair, blue eyes, sharp jaw line. The younger boys hair was a bit longer than his own, but still. In a few years, they'd probably look like fraternal twins.

The similar appearance wasn't the problem, nor was it the fact that he'd snuck up on Issei.

It wasn't even the fact that he wielded the boosted gear!

No….The problem had been the smell radiating off the boy like the stench of a landfill.

Blood. Fresh and flowing as wide as the Nile.

The sheer potency of it, made it seem like the boy had just been swimming in the stuff only a few minutes ago.

But there hadn't been a scratch on him when he appeared.

Which only meant that it didn't belong to him.

The young boy had obviously just severely wounded or killed several people.

That single punch to the back of Grieldas head had left her reeling on the ground, trying to maintain consciousness.

The glowing of the sword hilt and gun on the back of her waist had told him that the boy was a devil. As he wouldn't have been able to tell underneath the scent of blood.

As Griselda had been trying to at least get to her hands and knees, the boy had turned onto Issei.

Luckily it hadn't taken too much to get the boy out of the way.

A charge by the small devil had been met with a harsh punch to the temple that sent him flying into the distance, disappearing into the inky black sky.

Issei would have stayed to help get Griselda back on her feet, but the arrival of someone else, and the glowing cross 4 feet in front of him changed that.

In a flash of light, a dark haired man of a medium build stood.

Proud and confident, the newcomer cast his orange gaze over the scene.

Just as Issei was about to be made out, he summoned a dragon gate quickly, disappearing from view once the cross had faded, and the blonde man looked in his direction.

It was a hasty retreat, and more than a handful would call it cowardly.

In that situation however, even Albion agreed that retreat was the best option.

"I just want to go home…" Issei whispered to himself as the icy winds of east Antarctica battered against his silver scaly hide.

It was the only place he could think of, that would let him be alone for the few hours he had left until he could return to Delos.

"Go home…Give Artemis her gift, tell her I love her…and hope for the best."

 **[Changed your mind on that already, did you?]** Albion spoke aloud, since there was no other being around capable of human speech.

An inhuman sigh, was accompanied by a trail of smoke from his enlarged mouth and nostrils.

Within the snow covered continent, Issei may as well have been invisible. His silver scales blending in almost too well, as apparent by the polar bear walking by casually, having no idea the dragon was even there.

"It's becoming obvious that my time in hiding is just about at its end."

Albion gave a grunt in agreement.

 **[Unfortunately, I have to agree. You're strong enough to deal with most threats. It's the politics, backstabbing, rules and laws of the various factions i'm concerned about.]**

Albion sighed. A feat that Issei wasn't sure how to explain, since his grandfather no longer had organs or a body.

 **[The Greek saw enough of you to be worrisome. And with the aggressor not in the vicinity, the blame will ultimately be put on you until proven otherwise. Not having your name will be unimportant due to the dragon gate. The exorcist will have no doubt suffered a concussion, possibly some memory damage of the events leading up to it. But she may yet recall your name. That's not even getting into who may have appeared from that cross.]**

With those words, Issei tried to get an hour or so of rest, before he would head back home.

 **-LineBreak-**

It was time, Issei knew. It was time that he summon up all the courage possible, and give voice to the things he'd been feeling that were just left there simmering underneath the surface.

He'd waited until he was _sure_ that the party goers were gone, before coming home. Then the thought of trying to get some more sleep was thrown out, thanks to how his heart was doing summersaults, and his stomach felt like it was filled with rocks. Sleep would have been impossible.

With that option gone, he waited on the first floor, drifting between the living room and the kitchen. The pacing did nothing to calm him down.

It was almost 5 in the morning, when he could hear movement coming from upstairs, letting him know that Artemis was waking up. It was only about an hour earlier than normal, so it was just a mildly curious thing.

A sudden epiphany came to him, and had his feet quickly carrying him back into the kitchen. Artemis had a habit of leaving a freshly cleaned pan and pot on the stovetop for morning use. That would work well, since it would mean no excess noise when he was searching through the cabinets.

He'd cooked every once in a while, and was decent enough to make a satisfactory dish. There was a bowl in the drying rack next to the sink, which was quickly filled with 3 cracked eggs.

A good whisking later, and he got to work on the breakfast in bed.

 ** _[Breakfast in bed with a confession and present to go along with it eh? Not bad.]_** Albion complimented, and Issei smiled down at the pan, making sure the eggs didn't stick too much to the side.

 _"I thought so too. Plus it gives me something to do, to help calm my nerves a bit."_ He had to turn the heat down a bit, not wanting the eggs to burn or be too dry.

 ** _[You're worrying too much.]_** While Issei thought his grandfather was trying to just reassure him, the words were actually because the elder dragon saw what each of the other two seemed hell bent on ignoring.

 _"I've never done anything like this before, so I think my anxiety is well founded."_ With that said, he went to put the finishing touches on the simple meal. Eggs, toast with strawberry jam because that was her favorite kind, and a glass of orange juice.

Once they were placed on the folding tray, Issei put the bracelet he made right beside the drink. This was done just as he heard her feet land on the floor above him. His hearing beyond good, but right now all his senses seemed hyper focused because of his emotional state.

A deep breath was held in the hopes of it having a calming effect, then slowly let out through his nose. It was time. Issei knew that if he let this moment pass, he'd be too afraid to try again anytime soon.

 **-LineBreak-**

The circle faded from beside her ear, and Artemis scowled. Normally she had no issues with waking up early, but that's only if she had been able to get at least a _few_ hours of quality rest.

Last night had given her none of that. Once her guests had left, she'd placed the dishes in the sink to dealt with in the morning, and the last two bottles of wine back in their place. Afterwards, all she'd been able to do until nearly 3am was toss and turn in bed, missing the heat of her usually ever present dragon.

The irony of this wasn't lost on her. She, who was a legendary hunter, slept next to a beast of destruction. She, who hated any and all men, depended on the presence of one to fall asleep.

The meeting in Olympus had been changed to an emergency one, for reasons not disclosed to her yet. Artemis sat at the edge of her bed, tired and more than a bit cranky, rubbing at her eyes with a thumb and index finger.

Hearing the light creak of the stairs did make her feel a bit better though, knowing that Issei was back home. She was wondering why he hadn't come into the room though.

'He probably didn't want to wake me.' She thought after a moment. When they were talking about the previous parties, he'd commented on having her sleep in after such a long night with her friends.

Part of her was almost glad that he hadn't come into the bed, because last nights conversation had left her pondering her own feelings for quite some time, while trying and failing to get some rest.

Artemis knew she was going to have needed it now, because an emergency meeting on Olympus was never because of something good or simple. She had only a few minutes before she was needed in the council room.

 **Knock Knock**

Her head turned, just as the door knob was being slowly turned. The slow opening of the door had her quirking a brow up. Issei knew that she slept clothed, and only ever changed after breakfast. Today would be no exception, but her meal would have to be subpar thanks to her being needed elsewhere.

"Good morning" The words reached her ears as the door opened enough for them to see each other. For some reason, seeing Issei carrying a tray with an already prepared meal on it caused her traitorous heart to go from summersaults to an outright jackhammers pace.

It must have been beating 3 times a second, and from something that was ultimately minor. Just that smile accompanied by eggs and toast had a bright smile of her own across her face, melting away the tired ache in her eyes and head.

"Well this is a surprise. Did you think i'd be too hungover to move or something Ise?" She asked with a smirk. Artemis hadn't ingested enough alcohol for more than a slight buzz in centuries. But Issei had been surprised by the amount of wine she was preparing for the party. He was unaware of how much a single immortal over a millennia in age could drink.

"No, I just wanted to do something for you." He walked closer, letting her smell the eggs with a small amount of cheddar melted on it.

If he made a habit of doing things like this, Artemis wondered if her worries about a possible relationship with him would vanish as quickly as her sleepy state had.

That was when she saw the other thing on the tray, as he lowered it to her lap.

"What's this?" It became very clear to her what it was made of, as soon as she touched it.

Suddenly Issei looked very nervous, more than he had around her since their first year together. His eyes shifted to anywhere but her, his jaw quivered for just a moment, and the shaky way he sat down next to her made it all to apparent.

"I know your birthday is tomorrow, but you know how bad I am with keeping secrets." He rubbed at the back of his head. "I just couldn't wait, or i'd ruin the surprise."

The bracelet, fashioned from the protective covering of his own true body, shimmered in the dim light. The leather of the string was supple and soft, braided by three pieces and tied in a tight knot at each end.

She gasped lightly when she turned it over. Not only had he given her a piece of himself, but he'd sanded it down to an oval that would sit nicely against her wrist, and carved into it expertly.

"Happy early birthday Artemis" It was warm as she slid it on her wrist. It fit nicely, snug enough not to be easily thrown off by movement, but wasn't cutting off circulation or otherwise uncomfortable.

Her breakfast was swiftly forgotten about. She didn't know what to think or feel at the moment either. Time was what Artemis needed to sort through things. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate or like what Issei had done, but it was like he was timing this perfectly to shift her feelings for him from a possible interest, into a definite.

The thumping organ in her chest felt like it was on fire right then. Immortal beings had a habit of being selfish, herself included. And Issei… he was of a race that was notorious for it. Gifts from a dragon were known to be a double edged blade. If you received one, it was because they wanted something larger in return.

But Artemis just _knew_ , that he'd made this for her, because he thought she would like it. There was no ulterior motive, other than to make her happy, to show that he cared.

"It's amazing Ise, thank you." Was all she managed to say.

Finally, those light blue eyes locked on to hers. While they still looked nervous, there was a clear resolve there that she didn't understand. He'd made a decision of sorts, and he was going to follow through with whatever that was.

"You've done so much for me, that buying you something felt like a cop out. For the last 5 years, you've been my light; guiding me, sustaining me, teaching me." Breathing was becoming something that felt hard to do, his tone was so… Artemis wasn't sure there was even a word to describe it.

There were only two times she'd heard something like it, one real and the other a conjuration of her mind.

And suddenly Artemis wanted to inhale the food and stop this from moving forward. But at the same time wanted to hear him go on. She tried to intervene when he took a calming breath.

'Don't say it...'. She wanted to yell, but at the same time wanted to whisper

'Tell me, I need to hear it.'

"Issei, I really have to get to-" But he kept moving forward, cutting her off like his mind was capable of nothing but getting his thoughts passed through his lips.

"I love you Artemis."

"-Olympus" She finished weakly.

The world seemed to stop and turn cold, yet also grow colorful and warm. She didn't really know what to say or do. Luckily she had a way out, a way to give her at least a brief time to sort her thoughts.

Sliding the gift onto her wrist, Artemis hesitantly placed her hand to cup his cheek.

"Let's talk when I get home, okay? I have an emergent meeting to head to." She tried to summon up a caring smile, one that would hide how nervous she was.

Artemis just needed the time to figure out if she was ready. She wanted to take that step with him, but he deserved someone who was fully invested. The Huntress needed to figure out if she was, during what was bound to be a meeting that didn't even require her to be there.

 **-LineBreak-**

Artemis had just arrived at Mt. Olympus, her former home.

She was more than a bit upset. Partially because the meeting wasn't supposed to begin until late morning, and partially due to her tossing and turning all night from missing her usual source of heat.

Issei.

She had felt him arrive back home shortly before she had woken up, leaving no real time to spend with him. She had wanted to respond to his confession, but her mind was just as twisted up as her tongue.

But for some reason, Athena had contacted her, saying the meeting was moved up and placed in to emergency status. Something that hadn't happened in over a hundred years.

She strode into the overly large meeting hall. The white marble pillars towering over a hundred feet tall to the ceiling painted in dedication to her father still nauseated her.

She walked with the indifference known by all in the Greek pantheon, ignoring just about everyone there, and sitting in overly lavish chair.

She smoothed her usual hunting tunic down as she sat, not wanting to appear disheveled, or give anyone a show they weren't entitled to.

Her twin, Apollo, sat beside her with a serious look in his eye. That in itself was unusual, because the others except her father and Hera looked curious as to the reasoning for this meeting being brought forth sooner.

All the major players of their group were present.

Her father Zeus, clenched the arm rests of his chair, his white robes crackling with electricity.

Hera, Ares, Hephaestus, Poseidon, Hermes, Athena, Aphrodite, Hestia, Dionysus, Demeter. The only one missing was Hades, but no one was surprised by that.

Hermes, being the messenger and thus the usual speaker of these meetings, stepped from his chair and into the center of the circle of Greek deities.

He cleared his throat before he began.

"I apologize to you all for the rather early start." His voice, usually so flippant, carried a foreboding weight. "But this could wait no longer."

"Get to the point Hermes. My head pounds, and throat aches to be rid of this sober state." Ever the party boy, Dionysus groaned. If he'd ever lay off the booze, maybe an early wake up call wouldn't be so bad.

Hermes chuckled at the pained state his brother was in.

"On to business then." He returned to his previous demeanor.

"Last night, the grounds from the Parthenon to heavens church of holy disciples were bathed in blood. An act of provocation nearing that of declaring war."

While all in the room were now paying very close attention. No one except Ares looked happy at the prospect.

"There was an altercation between one of the strongest exorcists, Griselda Quarta, and a mostly unknown figure."

Athenas voice carried throughout the room, with all the calm and poise she'd ever had. Artemis was a tad envious of her. As this news had been the furthest thing from what she'd been expecting.

"If this other party isn't known, how can we be sure of their intent?"

Hermes merely gave her an _'I'm getting to that'_ look. Athena sat back into her chair and waited for further explanation.

"As I was saying. An altercation broke out, and was discovered by Apollo."

Hermes raised a hand towards her twin, already expecting the way he would rise and want to tell the story.

The vanity of immortals was truly endless. The way they would boast about their own accomplishments or deeds.

"Please brother. If there is anything to add, do so once i'm done. This is my job after all."

Apollo nearly pouted at being denied the chance to spice up the story to his own benefit, but sat back down.

"Apollo found the exorcist near the steps of the Parthenon, fading into an unconscious state. The only other person there being a silver haired, blue eyed young man, of around 6 feet in height."

Artemis started to feel her stomach drop to her feet. Something was wrong here.

"Had an unconscious exorcist been all it was, we wouldn't be here at this moment."

Her blood was feeling cold in her veins. So _very_ wrong.

"According to Apollo, the air reeked of blood. The young man fled immediately through a pure white portal, that we believe to have been a dragon gate."

The cold lead to her lungs, making her breaths short and shallow.

"Following the stench, Apollo came upon the church."

Hermes gave a sad glance at all that had gathered.

"It is important to note that during this time of year, the church welcomes the orphaned and abused into their walls. A gesture of good will, and to give the children a chance to enjoy the festivities the city offers."

The cold was getting to the point where she could feel frost building on her blood vessels. It was starting to get difficult to hear what was being said now.

"Once inside, Apollo found the bodies of approximately 23 children. Dead and dismembered. Along with the 4 adults that were with them."

The frost turned to ice, rooting her to the chair, unable to move. Unable to blink. And hardly able to breathe.

"Returning to the exorcist, Apollo was met by the Archangel Michael, cradling the woman in his arms as she mumbled only a few more words."

The ice bled through to her pores, an icy sweat coming to cover her hands.

"We believe the culprit to be out for revenge on us and the church for giving aid to kill and seal members of his race and family."

A piece of parchment appeared in his hands, so that he could be sure of what he was about to say.

"Zeus and Ares aided in helping the three factions killing and sealing the Heavenly Dragons. Hephaestus gave the church a way to turn the flesh of Ascalon into a weapon."

Artemis couldn't be sure of what she saw in the eyes of their messenger, but for a brief moment….She thought she saw fear. The huntress could hardly blame him. She knew all too well what the one being talked about could do.

She couldn't feel _anything_ anymore. It was as if she had become a spectator to her own body, the one in command having left the controls empty.

"The descendant of these beasts, Issei Hyoudou, has made himself and his intentions known through his actions. By decree of Heaven and Mt. Olympus, he is designated as an _Evil Dragon_. To be terminated on site."

Hermes gave the floor to Apollo, who seemed to have something else to add to the discussion. Her twin stood, his forever youthful appearance looking a tad more aged then she could ever recall.

"The Archangel passed along some of his findings before he took the woman away. While widely known as creatures of power and destruction, the world has mostly forgotten just how cunning a properly motivated dragon can be."

The usually upbeat God of the sun looked towards his twin sister, and their father.

"Heaven fears an uprising from the dragons. They've been carefully monitoring the world for the tell tale energy of their kind for the last few years. He worries that this young dragon has been biding his time in hiding. Gathering strength until he could gather allies of his kind. Once he has, there are few individuals that would have the power to stand against that kind of strength. And even fewer of the creatures that wouldn't want to see the fall of Heaven, after the dragon slayers rose up."

That was the moment she realized, that everyone here was expecting her to be the spearhead of bringing this 'Evil Dragon' down.

"While the motive sounds plausible, you are certain that this Issei Hyoudou is the culprit?" Artemis was glad that her sister was keeping a clear head. Actually, she was probably the only one having a near panic attack from this news.

Artemis knew that Issei held no love for the church, and rightfully so in her opinion. They were the reason he lost his family. But what she was hearing… that didn't sound like the Issei she knew. He was not prone to violent outbursts, at most he had a habit of self-deprecating introspection.

But… there was the possibility that he had been on edge already last night, with Frigg showing up. She hadn't asked him where he went last night, there hadn't been time. The time that they _had_ spent together that morning, she'd been thrown off guard by the gift on her wrist, along with his words.

More information was needed. Artemis would have to get the play by play of what he saw.

Had she really been so wrong about his character these last few years?

 **-LineBreak-**

With the sun blazing at its peak, Issei made his way back to the house, ready to get cleaned up after the last few hours of training. He had a near masterful grasp on the more basic abilities he had, but there was always a way to improve.

Today he had spent time trying to emulate his Goddess' iokheira technique, the shower of arrows. While Artemis could turn one arrow into dozens, he had only been able to achieve five. It would take a considerable amount of time, but he was certain that he'd get there.

The hardest part, was trying to direct where the arrows went. The fragments of light seemed to just scatter in random directions, sometimes even back at him.

 **[ I imagine that it will be much the same as the sacred gear. Your will needs to be forced upon them.]** Issei nodded, agreeing with the elder dragon.

There was still a considerable walk, to get back home, but Issei enjoyed the walk through the peaceful woods. His ability to feel the nature around him made the island akin to a sort of paradise. Issei was under no illusion that _that_ ability would probably take over a century to make any headway on.

There was a sudden shift in the air, before it deadened completely. The quick change had Issei stop and look around, wondering what could have caused it. This was not just the breeze dying, but more like an outside force stopping it.

'Strange…' Issei thought, watching the leaves on the trees ahead. They were no longer even rustling, with the atmosphere in the barrier as still as it was currently.

This was not something that Artemis or Gaia had put in the shield around Delos, at least, not that he was aware of. The barrier had been to repel unwanted supernatural beings, and not to control the weather, there had been many a rainy day here after all.

That connection to the world itself seemed to start whispering to him, something so quiet that he almost missed it. If it had to be described, it was almost like the softest of whispers from arms length away.

Its 'volume' was so low, that unless it was dead quiet, you would miss it.

'Careful….Danger…'

There was no actual words, but instead a feeling. It was warning Issei of something.

As quick as it came, that feeling left, and the breeze returned with it.

Issei had only been able to take a few steps, before the lightest of blue magical circles appeared on the ground before him. Issei smiled, knowing it to be from Artemis. She was back sooner than he expected.

 **[Issei stop…]** Albion warned, as the circle flared.

Between the blazing sun, and the magical light, Issei was unable to see his Goddess, until the light died down almost completely.

When it did, he stopped in mid step towards her.

Dressed in her combat tunic of forest green, Artemis stood poised and ready. Khryselakatos, the bow she used when dealing with an actual threat, was aimed directly at his heart.

There was something very wrong with this, but Issei had no idea of what it was. Artemis looked as though she'd been crying just a short time before. Her light blue eyes still had the hint of being bloodshot, a mere pink hue around her sclera.

But her expression was full of anger. Brows narrowed, pupils locked onto him, jaw tensed. The bow was held steady, her fingers holding the knocked arrow at the ready.

"Artemis, whats-"

"How _could_ you?" Her voice quivered, the tone at odds with the anger visage she offered. The silver scale on her wrist reflected the light above into his eyes.

Issei's mouth hung slightly open, baffled at what was happening. How could he…what? What did he do?

The silver arrowhead flashed, turning to a deep black. Suddenly, Issei felt that wondered if even _speaking_ was a good idea.

He knew what that color meant on her arrows, it had been aimed at him once before. On the first night he came here. It was a dragon slayer tip, modeled after the poison of Samaels blood.

"Why did you have to go there? Why not somewhere you could have been alone?" She blinked forcefully, not wanting to show weakness in front of this…. _monster_.

"Artemis, I don't know what you're-"

"Shut up!" She yelled, tightening her hold on both bow and arrow. Her eyes narrowed further on him, looking at him as though he were the root of all evil.

"I welcomed you into my home, trusted you… _cared_ for you, only to show your true colors once my guard was down."

 ** _[Issei, we should leave. Nothing I see indicates any outside influence, magical or otherwise. She_** **will** ** _kill you.]_**

 ****Albion was just as lost on this situation as his grandson, but he recognized that the goddess was not in a mindset to swayed or reasoned with.

"I knew better, and yet I let Gaia talk me into letting you stay, instead of killing you like I should have. That was incredibly stupid of me, letting a _monster_ like you continue to draw breath."

Issei closed his mouth, a deep breath coming in through his nose. He felt weightless, like his body didn't want him to feel the full effect of her words.

"Apollo saw you last night. He was even able to tell me what you were wearing, so don't even try to con your way out of this."

The image of the dark haired man from last night came to mind. Was this about the boy and the exorcist then? Was the little devil doppelgänger somehow dead? He knew of the uneasy truce between the three biblical factions. Had the boy been from some prominent family while near church grounds, tipping the balance towards conflict?

If that was the case, he could see how the Greeks would offer him up to smooth things over.

"I _should_ kill you… A large part of me _wants_ to put and arrow in your heart, put you down like _disgusting_ _beast_ you are." Her words came slowly, through clenched teeth.

His body's attempt at keeping him from feeling anything failed, and this was just as excruciating as his parents death. Not even a full day after he admitted that he loved her, Artemis was doing more than just reject him.

"But I want Gaia to see the folly of her actions when she comes back. I want her to see you for what you are."

Tears were building the more she berated him. Had he really caused _that_ much trouble? The boy had been the one to start the altercation. Before that, him and the exorcist had merely been sizing each other up. She may have been close to drawing her weapons, but she hadn't.

"Leave. Leave and know that I will be arming the three factions against you. You deserve to feel the same terror and anxiety that you put into a _child_ before their death."

So the boy had died then… and he was the cause. It appeared that pleading self-defense would do no good here. While he and the boy may have been similar in calendar age, Issei was far more developed. The point was moot in their eyes, in _her_ eyes.

His dragon gate opened as the first of many tears fell. Issei nodded merely once to Artemis, unsure if he was even capable of speaking at the moment. Stepping backwards, Issei disappeared in a flash of white light.

With him gone, Artemis fell to her knees, throwing her weapon to the side as she screamed in frustation.

 **-LineBreak-**

"Now what in the hell happened here?" The man whispered to himself, stepping through the rubble.

Today had been an odd enough day as it was, what with the naming of a new evil dragon. The term had apparently gotten a revised description along with it.

The known evil dragons had all been blood-thirsty, fighting non-stop to quell the urge for combat and death. This new one however, was hell-bent on revenge. No one was about to take chances with it, however.

His long coat billowed with the strong winds, as he walked through the busted outpost.

The walls were almost all cracked in one place or another, impact points in various places. It looked like several heads had been smashed into the walls. He knew that's exactly what had happened too, thanks to the bodies on the floor.

It was a shame, because this building had been doing good work on locating sacred gear users.

The sound of something like clothing moving against cement reached his well aged hearing, and even through the blonde bangs, he saw the small body that caused it.

A boy of pre-teen age, between 10 and 12 he'd guess, laid partially under another body. The odd thing, was that he quite obviously a devil by the feel of him.

"Now what is a young devil boy like you doing here?"

His small head snapped over to the man, light blue eyes wide and frightened from being found.

Maybe it was just because he'd received the information today, maybe it was the state of his subordinates. But when Azazel saw the red gauntlet on the boys arm, he started to wonder if maybe, _just maybe,_ there had been a big mix up. They were only a skip across some salty water from the place that incident had occurred.

"Don't….Don't come any closer…Grandpa Rizevim will hurt us both if you touch me!"

Azazel stopped, as his less than likely theory started to become clearer. His 'nephew' was exactly the kind of person who would look to cause chaos with as many factions as possible. Targeting a church full of kids on Greek ground, and then a fallen post in Turkey? That had the makings of a spark. The kind that got cities leveled, and populations dwindled.

 **END!**

 **Long overdue I know. Life stuff got in the way, and then my brain just wouldn't cooperate.**


	6. Assumptions can kill

**After the meeting in Olympus concluded.**

Forgetting that her father had wanted to speak with her, Artemis took her brother Apollo by the arm and dragged him to what was meant to be a conference room next door.

The cost of this _one_ room likely exceeded her entire home. The white marble floors and pillars held a shine that spoke of delicate care. As this was a place where members of other factions might come, she expected nothing less.

Her father had always wanted to be sure that visitors were awed by it. The table in the center was long enough to hold an entire war council, should it be needed.

"Enough Artemis, what is the meaning of this?" Her brother said, tearing his arm from her grip.

The door opened again, revealing their father. He was as imposing as ever. Bright white hair down to his shoulder, thick beard that hid nearly his entire jaw. His electric blue eyes took in the room, looking for anyone else, before settling on the siblings.

He gave a gesture for them to continue on, revealed shoulder muscles rippling as his arm returned to an at rest position.

"Tell me what you saw last night. Every step, every detail, all of it." She demanded.

Both men regarded her curiously, wondering why she seemed more interested in this new development, than almost all other incidents in the past.

Orange eyes stared into the lightest of blue, searching for some sort of sign. Apollo had not seen his twin in quite a number of years, but their familiarity was not something that would just dwindle with a scant few decades.

She had always kept her emotions controlled, unless directly affronted. Seeing the anger, disbelief and worry in her eyes, surprised him.

Artemis caught sight of a circle appearing beside her fathers ear, he turned to give his children a moment while he held his own conversation.

Zeus gave a dismissive acknowledgement to whoever he was speaking with, and returned to listen in to the conversation.

"I too, would like a better account of events. Artemis, I no longer have a need to speak with you, as Athena said. Tiamat has taken her leave."

Both Apollo and Artemis looked over to the head god, surprised to hear one of the more reclusive beings had been in their territory at all, let alone want to speak with someone armed to kill them.

"Father, why would the Chaos Karma Dragon want to speak with me?" There was only one reason that came to mind. The timing of all this just made her uneasy.

"Her words made no sense to me. She wished to gain access to the BlightFire dragon under the barrier of natures will, to guide his blessing to an acceptable standard."

Apollo looked between his father and sister, the latter of which was looking at her father with narrowed eyes, obviously in thought over the words of the strongest dragon king.

"I believe your sister asked you for information, Apollo." Zeus said after the silence stretched, bringing the twins back to the beginning topic.

"I had a meeting with a church delegate last night, about adding a training facility in Athens. It had just ended when I felt the pulse of power."

Artemis held her breath as she listened, absorbing every detail said.

"The power felt old, primal almost." In other words, it predated most deities. There were very few things that felt that way, the most commonly associated, was a dragon.

"It led me just outside of the Parthenon. This was where I saw Griselda Quarta falling unconscious, and the young man standing close by. Silver hair, blue eyes, stands about as tall as myself."

' _No…'_ Artemis was still having a hard time even listening, let alone believing what she was being told.

"He left through a white portal. Michael arrived, and managed to hear the exorcist give him a name. Issei Hyoudou…That was all she could say, before she was out cold."

Artemis' mind was replaying through her memories of the one she _thought_ she knew so well. Whether it was training, cooking, sitting under the stars on her island, or lounging in bed when they were feeling particularly lazy.

Each scenario, Artemis was unable to recall anything malicious about him. There were no signs that Issei had such disregard for innocent life, just to achieve some goal of vengeance. Whenever they were together, he seemed happy.

"Michael and I could feel that the power had traveled from a short distance away. I agreed to follow it, and notify him of what I found. It led me the church."

The Goddess of the hunt didn't want to hear anymore. The image of the one she had only just accepted as being the one she had fallen in love with, was being torn to shreds.

Perhaps it was better this way, some part of her mind reasoned. She hadn't told him of her feelings, or the struggles she was having with them. This way, she wouldn't have to.

"I came to the back of the church, and entered that way. No amount of war can prepare you to see those children like that. They weren't just killed, they were _butchered_."

Her brother had to stop, it was apparent that the image still bothered him. Only the most deranged and bloodthirsty were likely to feel any different. His orange eyes closed, taking a breath to relay what he'd seen, just as requested by his father and sister.

"Blood was everywhere, the floor, the ceiling, the walls. Some of them had wounds that looked like they were instantly cauterized. Two were cut in half right at the waist. _Every single one of them_ looked like they'd stared into the face of death itself."

She could picture him, tempering his fire into light, for both ranged and melee use. Her mental image of him smiling towards her, was replaced by a cold blooded killer, whose only goal was the death of anyone associated with those who killed his family.

His eyes radiating the icy feeling of an impending slaughter, that kind smile twisted into a psychotic smirk of sick satisfaction.

Artemis felt like she wanted to vomit, and Zeus sported a grim expression, as they pictured the scene. Artemis shook her head, trying to deny that _her_ dragon could do such a thing, and how wrong all of this felt. Her eyes stung as she whispered.

"He wouldn't…Issei wouldn't do that…" Father and son looked at her with widened eyes.

"You _know_ this creature?" Zeus asked.

Apollo knew the expression on her face, and sympathized with his sister. For some reason, the fates always had her romantic interests turning to tragic ends. He had wished that she would one day find the person to bring her happiness. It seemed that it was not to be, and his sister was fated not to find love.

"I'm sorry dear sister," Apollo said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Silver hair and light blue eyes, wearing a long sleeved green shirt and worn jeans. That was who I saw standing not even ten feet from the exorcist. That was who I saw leave through a white dragon gate. And it was from that very spot, where I followed what could only be a dragons power, to the scene of a massacre of children and their chaperones."

Red surrounded her blue eyes, as tears built and slowly fell. Her lip quivered as anger rose equal to her despair. The description of Issei, and the trail Apollo followed was too specific.

"You are _certain_ that no one else was in the area?" Zeus pondered. Heaven had made their judgement already, but if his forces were to be involved in any form, undeniable confirmation needed to be made.

"The trace of power was too specific. There was no one else around Father, of any supernatural origin."

Artemis covered her mouth with a hand, giving up on holding anything in.

Zeus watched his daughter sadly, as Apollo gave her shoulder a squeeze for comfort.

Artemis didn't _want_ to believe her brother, but how could she not? Apollo was many things, but a liar wasn't one of them. And what was a mere 5 years, compared to the trust built over _thousands_. There were hundreds of things that he'd done, that she either disagreed with or hated. But he had never hidden his intentions, never lied about anything he did.

The rational and irrational parts of her mind agreed on this. If Apollo says he followed Issei's signature, then that's exactly what he did. This decision killed the kind image of Issei in her mind for good. She had been right about him on that first night. He was a monster, and needed to be killed for the safety of others.

 **-LineBreak-**

When Artemis had calmed down enough to speak, the three were seated at the large table. They needed to talk about the next step.

"How do you know this Issei Hyoudou? Why would Tiamat seek you out to find another dragon?"

Artemis wiped at her eyes, feeling mortified that she'd given in to her emotions in front of anyone.

"Gaia brought him to me, Father, five years ago." She went on to tell of the night where the earth goddess had threatened her life, the tale of how the church had killed his parents and sought to use him as an experiment.

"I'm not sure if that was even true now… or if she's been mentally compromised by him."

Zeus crossed his arms, leaning back into the chair as he thought.

"She's always had a curiosity towards the dragons that carry the blood of the originals. I find it unlikely, but not out of the realm of possibility. If she is as attached to the boy as you say, she will not be pleased by his death at our hands."

"It won't be just her, father, we'll also have to deal with…" Artemis stopped, giving her brother a speculative look. She knew now, that Issei had to be dealt with. Her father needed to be warned of the long lasting effects this would have, but she didn't know if Apollo was aware of the missing deity in Heaven.

"Apollo, how involved were you at the end of the biblical great war?"

While Zeus caught on to her meaning quickly, Apollo took a moment longer.

"I was really only there to help heal after the heavenly dragons, and the battle where the…Oh, _that's_ what you meant."

"He is aware of the situation Heaven is in, what does that have to do with our current issue?" Zeus picked up for his son.

Artemis took a breath, willing her raging emotions under control. She would not lose herself again, not over the monster that she'd been mislead to believe was just a sweet boy.

Artemis now found the title that Tiamat had apparently given Issei, to be fitting. BlightFire Dragon… Yes, he certainly fit that description. She remembered the way all plant life withered under the effects of his poison. The time he mixed it with his fire made a shiver want to run up her spine. How was the dragon king aware of all this anyway?

"Because Gaia is only one party that will be greatly angered by his death. The BlightFire Dragon is not only a descendant of Albion, but due to the deaths of the great war, is also the wielder of his grandfathers sacred gear."

Even Zeus was given pause at his daughters statement. He recognized that they needed to be cautious now, more so than before. Whichever faction ended the young dragons life, would become an eternal enemy of the white dragon emperor.

Those who wielded the warring sacred gears, had the potential to become a serious problem for any pantheon. That was just the amount of power those Longinus' gave their host.

The way his daughter referred to the person was not lost on him either, and felt it necessary to get further information on what this new evil dragon was capable of.

"Artemis, what abilities of his ancestors, is he able to use?" There was a plan of sorts forming in the sky gods mind. While he did not want to make it appear that he was weak, or unwilling to punish those who desecrate his lands, no one associated with his faction had been harmed.

Gaia would still be furious with them, but could keep at least neutral ties with the three factions by letting them sort out their own problem with some specialty munitions. At least that way, he could help avenge the children who had died, and not risk future tragedy on his fellows.

"All of them, as far as i'm aware. Holy fire, poison, _light._ The only ones from his sacred gear i've seen are divide and half dimension." That was enough to concern any god, as a dragon, Issei could hold an enormous amount of power. Given enough time, he had the ability to reduce many gods to the strength of a mortal.

Zeus could recall quite easily, what those two divine dividing abilities could do, and it only furthered his resolve to keep his people out of this fight directly.

"Call for your handmaidens Artemis, and get him _out_ of your home. The dragon deserves death, but no Greek will be the one to give that final blow. We will have enough to deal with when Gaia returns, I won't have a heavenly dragon pledging a blood feud on us as well."

Artemis felt slighted by her fathers demand. _She_ was the one who should kill him! _She_ was the one that was best armed to do so, and it was being taken from her!

But the huntress was not going to argue with her leader and father. As much as she hated to be denied the chance, she agreed that it was for the best to let the three factions, and whoever else chose to, deal with _him._

"Prepare enough of your dragon slayer weapons to be used by a team from each of the three factions. You shall be the one to deliver them to Heaven, Apollo will go to the fallen, _I_ will go to the devils."

"A full-blooded _dragon_ is wielding a mid-tier Longinus?" Apollo asked carefully, receiving a nod from his sister.

"Yes, after their gods death the sacred gear system started acting up according to Gaia."

Apollo gave a laughing scoff. " _Acting up?_ Their god _hated_ dragons! This is more like full blown rebellion by his own creation!"

"Yes, and heaven especially, will want him dealt with quickly to hide that fact."

Artemis departed with a scowl on her face. When he was sure that his sister was truly gone, Apollo turned to his father.

"You saw it too, right father?"

Zeus nodded sadly. "Yes, the dragon was deceptive enough to get her to fall for him. The use of his name is likely painful, and is why she called him by the title Tiamat seems to have come up for him based on his attributes."

"For her sake, I wish it hadn't been him. She deserves better." Apollo said before leaving himself.

 **-LineBreak-**

The flames flickered, giving the dark sky a white and gold glow. Issei hadn't meant to do it, but his emotions and powers had proven difficult to control these last few days.

The memory had faded over the last few years, but he could feel the similarities between now, and when he'd been on the run from the church.

It hadn't been much, but the little shack had been as good a place as any, to try and get some rest. With only one room, it was just big enough to serve as a temporary shelter.

Just on the edge of some random forest near gales point in Belize, the area had been a decent choice due to its sparse population. There was a small town not too far away, but the people hadn't wandered his way in the last 4 days.

But now… he doubted that would still be the case. A fire in a small town, where everyone knows everyone, and there were no known residents in the direction of said fire? No, Issei would need to move.

It was a shame too, because the area was beautiful. Dense forests, clear waters, fresh air, and the sounds of the fauna left undisturbed in large areas. Albion had only succeeded in getting Issei out of the shack, in order to find food and bathe.

 **[Don't worry about it too much, we'll find somewhere else to go.]** Albion had tried keeping Issei's mind occupied, but it would only work for a few moments before he went back to his brooding. Not that Albion blamed his grandson.

The turn of events on Delos had been unexpected. The sealed white dragon emperor had thought that the goddess would at least give Issei the chance to explain anything he might be accused of.

Whatever happened to that boy that had attacked Griselda, was not the fault of his host. The little devil boy had been the one to start things, and had Issei wanted to kill him, it would have been a simple thing to chase him down.

Looking down at his hand, Issei tried to snuff the flame whipping around it. He knew that his control could slip if he wasn't focused, but this was just ridiculous. While trying to sleep, his dreams kept replaying the event of Artemis' denouncement.

But in his dream, she kept firing those dragon slayer arrows into non-critical areas of his body, torturing him with the immense pain. Thinking itself to be in danger, his body had responded by manifesting his flame, setting his shelter on fire.

"I still don't understand how one boy was important enough, that all three factions are coming after me now." Issei responded, his voice quiet and sullen.

Albion didn't respond. He didn't know either, and he could tell that Issei was talking more to himself than anything.

Finally succeeding in putting out his own flame, Issei turned to the South, where the main road was. If he was right, that's where the people would be coming from. The cluster of houses to the West had seemed abandoned when he was searching the area. It ended up just being where the less fortunate lived, those that lived their lives in poverty.

Far in the distance, the long wail of a siren reached his ears. It was time to leave. The hours he'd spent studying in Artemis' library was coming in handy now that he was effectively banished to the more desolate parts of the world.

Since he liked the near tropical feel of the area he was in currently, Issei decided that he would next head somewhere like that.

Drawing upon his power, still fluctuating as it was, the portal opened. The bright white light shimmered and dimmed, before settling at its proper level. Issei thought nothing of how the portal acted, assuming that he was still a little too occupied to be using any power or magic with any sort of efficiency.

"Let's go Grandpa, hopefully the next place will be for longer than a few days." Stepping into the dragon gate, Issei didn't feel the shift in power, nor did he see the change in its color, the light had been too blinding to keep looking at it.

The first time he'd used a dragon gate, Issei wasn't prepared for the feeling of being in free-fall for just over a second. This was only his 5th, but he knew what to expect.

Through his closed eyelids, Issei saw the light dim significantly. He had expected it to only dim slightly, as the area he was trying to go to should still have plenty of sunlight.

Unless his eyes were deceiving him, there wasn't much light, wherever he was. That, or something was blocking it. And the _smell_ , it was strange.

It was almost as though-

"Are you going to just stand there with your eyes closed?" A voice spoke from directly in front of him. It was feminine, and smoky in a way that was definitely supernatural. Maybe smoky was the wrong word, but it had this alluring pull to it, like the woman was crafted to draw others towards her.

Issei opened his eyes slowly, just in case a sudden increase in light occurred. He was left confused by the first thing he saw. Another forest, this time much thicker and seemed to go as far as the eye could see.

But just in front of him, was a woman. If he had to guess, she stood around 5'6, with a navy blue skirt and blouse. Long pale blue hair, with ocean blue eyes. She was beautiful by any standard, not that Issei was in any sort of mind to care about that.

What he was pondering at the moment, as he looked at her, was why she smelled like a dragon. And a powerful one too…

Strength wasn't exactly carried in a scent, but Albion had told him of his first meeting with Ddraig. How the scent had been so potent that it seemed to make the air around him shimmer, just like it did for the white dragon. For the creatures formed by the very energy of the universe, this was a common thing used to determine another dragons strength. A young or weaker dragon, would not have the same density as an older and more powerful one.

His light blue eyes started in the darker shade of the woman, as she did the same. There was something about her that made him both nervous and nostalgic, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

 ** _[Tiamat]_** That one word from Albion filled in all the blanks that had formed.

The Chaos Karma Dragon, the only female dragon king, as well as the only female. Issei had been told about her, or at least what Albion could recall of her.

"Are you afraid of women, hatchling?" She asked, one brow raised and an upward turn on one side of her lips.

While technically still accurate, Issei bristled at the word. He was more than powerful enough to handle himself should the situation demand it, and being compared to nothing but a helpless baby irked him.

Issei realized now, that his mental state had allowed her to change his destination and summon him here, wherever that was. Feeling like he may have just walked into a trap, Issei took a few steps back, never letting his eyes leave her.

 _Should I be worried?_ Issei asked Albion.

The dragon kings smirk got wider, seeing his actions. It wasn't unwarranted, from what she could tell, the hatchling was almost as powerful as tannin. That still placed him a good portion below her own strength. The only variant that could affect things, would be his ancestors abilities, if he could command them.

 ** _[I don't think so. She was more antagonistic towards Ddraig, but her and I certainly had our disagreements. Last I heard, she had come to an agreement with one of the devil leaders, something about their gladiatorial fights.]_**

So she had some part to play in the rating games Issei had read about. He didn't know what to make of that. It sounded like Tiamat would be more likely to help the devils, if she'd already struck an agreement with one.

"I'll take that as a yes then. Strange, considering you lived with a goddess." She commented easily, doing nothing for the tension Issei felt. She wasn't making a show of power, but he couldn't be too careful now.

"Why did you bring me here?"

Tiamat lost her smirk, her face falling to a neutral expression, her arms falling to her side instead of being folded across her abdomen.

"Issei Hyoudou, The BlightFire Dragon, and newly named _evil dragon_. Accused of murdering a church full of children in Athens, and assaulting an exorcist."

Issei tensed further when he heard what she said.

"WHAT!? I'VE DONE NOTHING OF THE SORT!" He skipped over both titles now attributed to him, too appalled at her accusations to care at the moment.

"I know." Her voice was level, completely serious, and it had Issei wanting to believe her. The question of just _how_ she knew that, remained.

"You were in the wrong place, at the wrong time hatchling. Whether you committed the deed you've been accused of or not, is no longer important."

Issei disagreed with that statement with every fiber of his being, of course it matter! He hadn't done anything wrong, nothing to make Artemis hate him, and nothing that warranted the three largest faction in the world to start hunting him.

Tiamat looked up into the sky, as the blue receded into orange, signaling the transition into night. Her deep blue eyes seemed locked onto a specific point, like she was hearing something.

"What you carry inside you, only makes your death more necessary, in the eyes of the church." She said quietly, still staring up at nothing.

While Issei wasn't sure what she meant by that, the being attached to his soul, did.

The radiant wings of divine dividing sprung from his back, stretching wide enough to almost touch the trees to each side. Issei was left startled by it, feeling the muscles of his shoulder blades contract on instinct, like they would with his own natural wings.

The gems and the blue energy that acted as the membrane of each wing, started to glow, as Albion inserted himself in the conversation.

 **[How did you know?]** His question was simple. Tiamat should have had no way to know that Issei held _any_ sacred gear, let alone his own ancestors.

"It's nice to see you as well Albion." Her tone was dry, eyeing the glowing wings.

"To answer you question, the winds carried the tale of a hatchling that defies the recognized laws of the sacred gear system. The embodiment of nature itself holds a great deal of affection for the child, I felt it important that his gift not be _squandered and forgotten_."

Her eyes narrowed, and her tone shifted into a cold that felt like it could even douse dragon fire. Albion knew that she hated how the other original dragons had never delved into that power. He still felt it didn't measure up, to be worthy of the time he'd spent alive.

While the power was useful and versatile, the abilities Albion had crafted himself were better suited for his fighting style.

There were few things more satisfying, in his opinion, then seeing the fear in an opponents face that had their power taken from them. It had often stopped a fight before things had progressed to far, once they realized that he could just take their own strength, leaving the opponent weak and at his mercy.

"You can talk to her? To Aunty Gaia?" The excitement and surprise in his voice wasn't missed by either of the elder dragons. It was endearing in a way, seeing how much he still cared for the goddess, even after spending a large part of his life away from her.

But from another aspect, it was sad. Issei was so excited, because he hardly interacted with anyone. Artemis and Albion, had been the only source for conversation for the vast majority of the last 5 years. And now, Artemis was no longer a part of his life.

Even if Artemis learned the truth, that Issei had done nothing wrong, Albion felt that her pride would stand in the way of her speaking to him ever again.

"I would hesitate to say that I can _speak_ with her. Rather, it is more that _she_ speaks to _me_."

Issei wilted, even the wings of his sacred gear drooped, showing his disappointment.

"But this is why I have brought you here." Tiamat was quick to bring the subject back to her intended route. The young mans eyes peeking up, but still downtrodden.

"With the right instruction, you will be able to hear her as well. You reek of brute force hatchling. If you are going to survive, you will need finesse, something to keep you one step ahead of those who aim to end your life."

Now _that_ caught his attention. She was going to help him? Why? This question was parroted by Albion, equally as curious as Issei was.

 **[And why would you help him now? I'm sure you know it would only bring them to your own doorstep.]**

"Not that i'm ungrateful, but yea… what he said." Issei was not under the delusion that Tiamat was going to help hide him away. Her words had pretty much spelled that out.

"My timing was admittedly poor. I had to wait until you were of a sufficient age and strength. Being hidden under the barrier Gaia crafted, made that near impossible. It was only a week ago, that I felt your power slip through the cracks."

Issei could immediately recall the thing she was talking about. Trying to replicate Artemis' techniques had been hard. One of his first attempts, Issei foolishly thought he would be able to just bring down a torrent of light arrows with no problem.

He almost impaled himself doing so.

"As for the _why_ I would help you. Too many of our kind have been killed or sealed away. _You,_ hatchling, are one of the few that hold the ability to understand what I can teach."

Tiamat stepped closer to Issei, and he felt her power rise swiftly. It could have been taken as a hostile move, had she not declared her intentions already. His curiosity over why she let her strength show was quickly answered.

The wind picked up, sweeping in from the side, instead of at his back. The leaves on the trees around him all seemed to point towards their direction. The grass on the ground, whether lush and green, or yellow and dying, stood tall.

 _Where you once heard a shout as a whisper, or a song as a hum, you will feel the truth._

The words were carried through the wind, and Tiamat's voice echoed along with it. This was just like when he thought he heard someone trying to warn him, right before Artemis came home from her meeting. Issei realized just then, what that could have possibly meant.

Gaia had been trying to tell him what was coming. But his inexperience had him only paying attention when the wind fell enough for it to be the only thing he could hear.

"I have given you a title, hatchling. Something that your mother never attained. You are probably never going to erase your status as an evil dragon. The payment I desire, for helping you stay alive, is for you to make a name for yourself that transcends what Heaven would label you as."

Both Issei and Albion felt a flurry of emotions. For a dragon to be given a title, it had to come from another dragon that held their own. Each title was meant to be fearsome, something that would make another being, think twice about challenging them.

Chaos Karma, Blaze Meteor, Prison dragon, Venom Blood, Gigantis Dragon. Though some were given due to their nature. Yu-long and Midgardsormr were given the mischievous and sleeping dragon for their titles.

Both pride and anger were a common feeling between Issei and Albion. Issei had a title, which meant that he would go down in history. But his classification as an evil dragon, would put him among the likes of the worst of dragon kind.

Apophis, Azi Dahaka, Ladon, Yamato no Orochi, Niohoggr, Crom Cruach, the dragons that helped spark the rise of dragon slayers.

"I give you two weeks of my time. After that, you will leave. I will not have you bringing enemies to my home, nor will they know that we have ever met."

A blue dragon gate opened up behind her, rotating slowly. Her gaze on him was piercing, making him feel as though he really didn't have a choice but to go with her.

"Issei Hyoudou, The BlightFire Dragon, do you accept?"

If going along with her, meant that he could hear Gaia again and evade his pursuers, there was no reason to deny this chance.

 **-LineBreak-**

 **9 Days After the Olympus meeting - 6th Heaven**

"We thank you for your support in this Lady Artemis. Dragon slayer items are especially hard to manufacture." Michael, the leader of heaven said, smiling to the obviously tired goddess.

Gabriel stood beside him, looking as though she wanted nothing more than to embrace her Greek friend. It had been quite a surprise, learning that the BlightFire Dragon had been living with her. His sister had been about to vanish into a cross and find the huntress, before he managed to stop her when they found out.

"I would prefer you to thank me, by _killing_ _it_ Lord Michael."

Gabriel winced at the venom in her tone. She saw Michael give her a small shake of his head, and her heart ached more for her friend. Michael had forbidden her from sharing the details brought to light regarding Issei Hyoudou.

He had claimed it as a lost cause. In trying to do what was best for their followers, and the world in general, they had potentially broken a soul that didn't deserve it, two if they counted how Artemis was acting.

Griselda had woken up 2 days ago, only able to give minor details about the event. What she _could_ share though, brought nothing but regret to the seraphs. The exorcist could not recall Issei Hyoudou attacking her. And it was not the usual call of Divine Dividing she remembered, but that of the boosted gear instead.

Michael, Uriel and Raphael speculated and hoped that it could be an effect of her injury. All they were waiting on now, was for the exorcist to be well enough for the memory projection spell to be used on her.

But what were the chances that someone bearing similar features to the now named evil dragon, was in that vicinity, bearing the opposing sacred gear, and had been gone by the time Michael and Apollo had gotten to the scene?

If those slim chances were indeed the truth, what were the chances that the BlightFire Dragon was not too far gone already to atone for it? By Artemis' own claim, the dragon had confessed his love for her.

The chance that the boy _hadn't_ been so emotionally distraught as to be affected by the juggernaut drive was just as equally small. Not even Gabriel could deny, that heaven had been the cause for the creation of a new evil dragon. One that would no doubt strike against Heaven and any allied with them, after their accusations.

"There have been no sightings of Issei Hy-" Michael stopped when the goddess glared at him with renewed strength, causing him to correct himself.

"The BlightFire Dragon has not been sighted yet. Once word of his location comes to us, we will handle it quickly."

It had been Metatron to put things into a cold and clinical view. There now existed a full-blooded _holy dragon_ , armed with a dragon sacred gear with the soul of his grandfather inside. They had accused this being of slaughtering children, causing the one he loved to denounce and threaten him.

Even if he wasn't driven to madness, his very existence threatened to cause speculation about the end of the great war. For the preservation of the system presiding over the human world, he needed to die. Every second the dragon drew breath, was another chance that the world as they knew it could fall apart.

Artemis nodded curtly, turning around just as the door was thrown open.

"He's innocent Lord Michael! It's as we feared, Issei-" The angel, a man looking to be in his late 20's stopped once he realized that his leader was in the presence of another.

The angel glanced back and forth between Artemis and Michael, both of which had their eyes glued to him. The golden winged leader of Heaven took in a long breath, feeling yet another turn of events that would not be in Heavens favor.

He watched as Artemis strode towards the subordinate angel, who had frozen in place under her hardened glare.

A hand flashed out quicker than anyone could stop or perceive it, gripping the low ranking angel by the collar and holding him up off the ground.

"Say that… _again."_ She growled, turning her eyes towards Michael.

The leader of a faction he may be, but he was not quite god-class in strength. The only ones in the three factions that could claim that, were the current Lucifer and Beelzebub. Michael would not be on par with the livid woman before him.

Her free hand waved towards the recently made weapons on the table, which glowed under a blue light before vanishing.

"Issei Hyoudou…Is…Innocent," The angel was shaking, but no one could determine if that was because of Artemis' hand, or his own fear of the _irate_ goddess.

"Griselda Quarta was attacked from behind. When she said his name to Lord Michael, she was only trying to convey that she'd found him. Not that he was her attacker."

The angel was unceremoniously thrown onto the floor, and Michael had the pleasure of being the only one on the other end of her hard stare. It was too late to backtrack, and as a servant of Heaven, he could not lie. The only way to downplay her reaction, would be to fully explain.

"Our initial assessment had been from your brothers words, along with Miss Quarta's before she was unconscious. We have been made aware of the truth that made him flee Japan only recently. Griselda recalled hearing the call of the boosted gear before being struck, but we found that to be unlikely given the length of time when she was attacked, to when Apollo and myself arrived."

Michael gave her a pleading look, practically begging her to see their side of things.

"Lady Artemis, dragons are easy to anger, and difficult to reconcile with. Those bearing the boosted gear and divine dividing even more so, thanks to the threat of juggernaut drive. Even when we had a slight suspicion that we had been wrong, it was most likely already too late. I recognize that _I_ am to blame in particular, but hearing you reject him as you did was most likely the final straw."

The truth in that statement didn't matter to her. Artemis now had to face the fact that she had _falsely_ accused Issei of _murder,_ when he had done nothing of the sort. He had just been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

She should have just taken _a single moment_ , to listen to anything he had to say. If she had, this entire thing could have been avoided. Instead, she had fallen back to old habits, judging a man just because he was a man. He had a penis, and therefore all the things he was accused of were the truth.

"So…what now? You're going to hunt him down because of something he had no control over? If he didn't kill those kids, then someone else did, and that someone likely holds the boosted gear _if_ Apollo is to be believed at all!" Her voice had gradually risen until she was nearly screaming at the lead angel.

He took it all in stride, as he could only fathom how much this had to have shaken her.

"I will review the events personally, but even then…I fear it is too late. Issei Hyoudou is likely no longer the person you-"

" **NO!** This is _your_ doing! You could have waited until she woke up, before making a decision that would ruin the life of an innocent person! He should have been at home with _me!_ But instead, he's out there on his own!"

Her power was leaking out, like a failing dam being battered by wave after wave. A thin layer of silver energy started to coalesce around Artemis, a visible representation of just how upset she was at the moment.

"Ise _knew_ that his sacred gear would cause trouble, that he'd have to keep it hidden!"

Artemis had to clear her throat. She had already shown too many people the emotions she had kept locked away. As the anger bled away, turning into a seemingly endless pit of despair and self-deprecating thoughts, the power that had started to surround her dissipated.

"All he wanted, was to live his life peacefully. And now…because of your decision, he can't have it." She needed to leave, and soon. It was getting too hard to keep herself from crying openly.

She took a deep breath, holding herself together for just long enough to say her piece and go home. _Her_ home, something that only a few days ago, she considered to be _their_ home.

"It is too late for me to do anything about the fallen or devils, but Heaven will receive nothing from me. I've already helped you destroy his life enough as it is."

With a swift turn, Artemis walked towards the corner of the meeting room, a silver magic circle appearing underneath her. The magical light shimmered, ready to carry her away.

Gabriel, unable to stand it any longer, rushed to her friend, in the hopes of conveying how truly sorry she was for what had happened. As fast as the lone female seraph was, Artemis was carried away too quickly, and Gabriels arms met empty air.

Stumbling from her attempt, Gabriel stood to her full height, before turning to her brother. She had been at the party on Delos, trying to recover from the horrors they found in England.

If she had been in Heaven, she could have gone with Michael, and been the voice of reason. Her brother was the one acting in place of their father, and he had to make decisions quickly and efficiently. The evidence on hand, had pointed to Issei Hyoudou being the culprit.

She knew that mistakes had been made, since the passing of her father. Mistakes that shouldn't have happened. But Heaven just didn't have the power or resources to cover all bases. The largest faction in the world was acting without their central being, and never had the deficits created by this been more apparent to her then those 48 hours.

"Michael, is their truly _nothing_ we can do about this?" Her eyes showed the depth of just how much she wanted to make amends, and Michael couldn't blame her.

As he had said though, the chances that the boy wasn't already being dragged into the emotions of his predecessors, was slim. Love was a powerful thing, and losing it could be even more so.

 **-LineBreak-**

She wasn't sure why, but Artemis had appeared in the room that had once been _his._ Sinking down to the floor, with the picture that had been on the dresser, Artemis brought her knees to her chest.

This wasn't fair. Not to her, not to Issei, not to the children whose killer was on the loose. Tears were not something that Artemis experienced with any sort of frequency in her life.

She had learned quickly, to hide behind a mask of indifference. If she didn't care, none could harm her, no one could make her feel the things she had once felt long ago.

Issei though, she had let her guard down for him.

If only the things she said to him, could be taken back. They could just hide on her island, like they had been doing, and be happy together.

The thought only made her cry harder, her sobs coming out in wheezes, her chest and shoulders aching from the force of it.

The picture in her hands, was one of the only things left of him. She hadn't gotten around to destroying anything but his clothes, with how busy she'd been with the creation of the tools designed to kill him.

Artemis couldn't think, nor could she breath. Part of her wondered if she even _wanted_ to. He was as good as dead. She'd done her job well in crafting those weapons.

She was tired, so tired that her mind couldn't decide what emotion she should feel. Should she be angry? Should she be sad? Or guilty?

All of those things were a strange blend inside of her right now. It wasn't pleasant.

Managing to peel her head away from her knees, Artemis looked at the picture. As she did, the torch light gleamed off of the bracelet that he'd given her on the last morning they saw each other.

The same one where he had come out and said that he loved her.

The morning that she should have said the same, but couldn't bring herself to.

Angry.

That's how she decided she should feel. Angry at herself, for her hesitance, angry at Apollo for making assumptions and helping to cause this mess, and not looking for anything that wasn't right in front of his face.

The picture was of them together. He had been trying to make his fire into light. The day he finally did it, he was so happy, so excited. Her expression in the picture was dumbfounded, as he'd pulled her outside for a picture without telling her what was going on.

The anger surged, and the frame was thrown across the room, shattering the wood and glass against the opposite wall.

As her head dipped back down, her fingers traced the silver scale, now the last undamaged thing she had from him.

"I love you too."

The words were bittersweet. It felt good to be able to utter them, even if it was only to herself.

If only she'd been able to say them sooner.

If only…

 **END!**

 **Bit of an info dump, but I wanted to go over why Artemis turned on issei the way she did. I also didn't want to have her in the dark for long.**

 **Instead, her journey will be about herself, and finding him.**

 **I'm not sure how big of a role Tiamat will play overall, but its minor for now.**

 **A big thank you to Revan's wraith, LordxSesshomaru, and Artemis for your thoughts and reading through this for me.**

 **DxD discord link. Come hang out**

[ discord. gg/xEApPAS ]


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